RSSKnowing when to bring an Attorney to Your Child’s IEP Meeting
An IEP meeting can be pretty intimidating. Even though the purpose of an IEP meeting is to create an educational program that allows your child with disabilities to thrive, the process needs to be handled with sensitivity. Otherwise, it may feel like a group of grownups came together to complain about your child’s problems instead of working together to find the best solutions.
There are a lot of good reasons why you may wish to bring someone along with you to an IEP meeting to provide support and assistance, and it is perfectly within your rights to do so. This may include a friend, advocate, regional case manager, or your personal attorney. If you want to have an attorney present for your child’s IEP meeting, you may want to find someone with experience in special education instruction and related legal issues.
What Is an IEP Meeting?
An individualized education program (IEP) meeting is where parents and educational professionals get together to discuss the needs of a child with disabilities. Depending on school district rules and school policy, this meeting may include a mixture of the following participants: parents, classroom teachers, school psychologists, school administrators, district personnel, classroom aides, and specialists who provide additional services for your child, such as a speech therapist or an adaptive physical education (APE) teacher.
Issues discussed during an IEP meeting will include the child’s current performance levels and goals. Educators will inform the parent about accommodations that will be provided to assist the child in meeting their IEP goals. Education services should be delivered in the least restrictive environment (LRE), and that means instructing the child together with their peers in a regular classroom environment whenever possible.
Accommodations for students with disabilities may include adapted assignments, additional instruction, instruction methods that accommodate learning modalities, and other interventions based on the individual needs of the child with disabilities.
The Benefits of Having Someone by Your Side at an IEP Meeting
Even under the best circumstances, a parent may feel outnumbered and intimidated during an IEP meeting. IEP team members also have a tendency to use a lot of complicated educational jargon that you may not fully understand. With everybody talking so fast, it’s difficult to remember all the things that were said, and you might want to take notes. It’s important to remember that you do have the right to record an IEP meeting in California if you notify the school district 24 hours in advance.
Benefits of bringing an advocate to your child’s IEP meeting include:
- Providing moral support. You may become self-conscious listening to people talk about the issues your child is having in the classroom. Having someone to sit next to you can make you feel a lot better.
- Providing an objective opinion. Everyone who works for the school district has their own interests to protect, and it’s difficult for parents to be objective about their children, so it’s nice to have someone in the room who can offer a dispassionate perspective.
- Explaining what’s going on. Special education is regulated by all sorts of complex laws and procedures. You’re going to hear terms like FAPE, 504 plans, accommodations, assessment, and paraprofessional, and you might not always be sure about the legal implications of these terms and how they relate to your child’s education.
- Witnessing the meeting. Sometimes, IPE team members say inappropriate things about students, and they may also make commitments that they fail to follow up on.
- Understanding your options. An advocate who is familiar with special education laws can make helpful suggestions and propose possible solutions for issues that come up during the IEP team meeting.
- Maintaining your composure. Things can get emotional during an IEP meeting, and your advocate can help you remain calm so you can address the issues at hand.
Are You and Your Child with Special Needs Getting the Help You Need?
The Los Angeles special education lawyers at Woodsmall Law Group would be happy to advise you about an upcoming IEP meeting or attend the meeting with you. Our law firm is committed to serving children and adults with learning disabilities and their parents in Los Angeles County, focusing on the San Gabriel Valley. Our attorneys have been helping families make the most out of their educational opportunities for over 17 years.
If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s placement or the services they are receiving, please call us at (626) 440-0028 to schedule a free initial consultation. We speak English and Spanish.