[Mdpobc] The light side of going to IEP meetings

Wed Dec 21 19:51:49 UTC 2016

Parents:

This article about attending IEP meetings is adorable, in my opinion, but
also very realistic -( but also joking around.)   So I wanted to share it
will all parents who are hanging in there regarding special education.  

 Enjoy!   It is from the website:  www.wrightslaw.com
<http://www.wrightslaw.com> 

  Jill Richmond

The Lighter Side of Special Education: The IEP 

By Aimee Gilman, Esq.

One of the things I find most amusing about being both a parent and an
attorney for families is the IEP process. This process begins when your
child is first evaluated as A CHILD WITH A DISABILITY.

The Invitation

Your school district, in an ongoing effort to remind you of the incredibly
small role moms and dads play in this process, will start by sending you an
"Invitation" to attend your child's IEP meeting. Of course, the parents are
the only ones on the team who receive such an invitation, as though the
district expects that you may politely decline and simply send a gift
instead. Some more affluent districts will include a statement on the bottom
such as "Sandwiches and tea will be served."

The IEP Meeting

When you appear for the meeting, you will again be reminded of the
peripheral nature of your participation when you discover that the school
has rented a small baseball stadium to accommodate all the members of your
child's team. You are the only ones who are not in the employ of the
district.

Moreover, all district personnel are seated on full size chairs while you
are left to sit on the little plastic children's chairs made by Fisher
Price.

The members of the TEAM will fix their collective glare on you because you
had the gall to have this child at all, and look how many people are
inconvenienced.

The IEP

The first order of business is to READ THE IEP. This is a necessary feature
of every IEP meeting because school districts are of the firm belief that no
parent of a disabled child has ever learned how to read.

This activity serves the added purposes of assuring that parents don't have
a chance to speak, and of consuming the full 45 minutes allotted for the
meeting. You will then be asked to reschedule at a time that is designed to
be as inconvenient for you as possible, such as next year on Christmas.

The Beliefs & Assumptions

I found that one of the main areas of difference between parents and school
personnel involves the level of the child's programming.

Parents usually believe their children are capable of reaching greater
heights than the district has programmed for in the child's IEP. Whenever
this happens, the district will discreetly remind these parents that the
CHILD HAS A DISABILITY. These reminders are usually accomplished by having
the special education director make this statement at regular 30-second
intervals, or by simply using a megaphone.

Districts feel these methods are unfortunate but necessary because if they
do not constantly remind parents that the CHILD HAS A DISABILITY, parents
will forget.

The school psychologist will you that she "knows how painful this is," at
which point you will have no alternative but to smack her. No one will care,
however, because it is obvious that she has forgotten to take her meds.

Once parents are successfully assured that they are the intellectual
equivalents of plants, the other TEAM members will then happily agree upon
all goals, objectives, services, and placement and the meeting will
conclude.

The Vision Statement

The Department of Education recently designed an especially torturous device
for IEPs called the Vision Statement. This Statement purports to allow the
parents an opportunity to say where they see their child in the future.

The Vision Statement is completely nonbinding on the District and serves no
purpose other than to create an emotional outburst from parents who have no
desire to speculate about their child's future in front of this unfriendly
crowd, or anywhere else for that matter.

I always advise my clients to tell the district they envision their child
attending Harvard Medical School-starting tomorrow. This usually sets an
appropriate tone for the remainder for the meeting, and may help to avoid
some of the pitfalls discussed above.

More "Lighter Side of Special Education" Articles:

Parents & Kids 

Special Education Mediation

The Due Process Hearing

My Law Practice

Read other articles on The Lighter Side of Education.

Contact Info

Aimee E. Gilman, Esq. 

aimeegilman.com at http://www.aimeegilman.com

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