As one of your child’s IEP team members, you are the most important person on the team! But how many times have you gone to IEP team meetings and sat there without any opportunity to provide input and direction for your child’s IEP? As your child’s parent or guardian, you are the chief expert among IEP team members on what does—and doesn’t—work for your child. There are plenty of times it will seem like the school is in charge and controls everything for your child, writes the entire IEP with minimal input from you, and it seems more like your presence in the meeting is more about checking off a box.
As the parent or guardian of a child with an IEP, you are both a required and an extremely important individual among your child’s IEP team members. Each person on the IEP team is an expert in their specific area and you are too: you are the expert on your child. As their parent or guardian, you know more about your child and spend more time with them than any other person on the IEP team. This is not to say that the teacher and service providers don’t know your child very well after spending time working and supporting them at school, but as their parent or guardian, you know your child in a way that no one else can.
As one of your child’s IEP team members, you should plan to collaborate with your child’s school district. As their parent, you are the foremost expert on your child.
You are the expert on your child and have the ability to share with the IEP team about your child’s preferences, personality traits, and other information relevant to the section of the IEP the team is working on. You can let the school staff know about any skills that your child may have shown while at home that they may not have shown at school. You are also the only person who is able to give consent to implementing the IEP and all of the small details that are outlined in the document. Without your written consent, the school is unable to implement any part of the IEP. Your input should help guide in writing the IEP and always be documented in the Notes section of the IEP. As the most important of your child’s IEP team members, you are far more than just the person to give permission to the school to work with your child and track their data. You are there to ensure that the IEP and the employees of the school know and recognize your child as a unique student in the school, not just a stack of paperwork and an IEP.
Children with a disability who qualify for Special Education can sometimes end up being “just a student with an IEP” in the school and holding an IEP meeting is done so because it is required. Your child’s school district may be bogged down with timelines, paperwork, and a million other things. This does not excuse the school district from providing your child the time, attention, and detail that they deserve. Your role is to help ensure your child is seen, acknowledged, and given access to the free, appropriate, public education to which they are entitled.
Your role as the parent or guardian in the IEP is to advocate for and know your child. You will be able to help the team know who your child truly is, not just whether they have an IEP. There is more to your child than a disability and it is your role to ensure the school knows this. If you feel unclear on your role, why are you at the meeting, or that your input is not being heard, you may need some support from a Special Education Advocate to help you gain the extra knowledge, confidence, and help you to find your voice to truly embrace your role in the IEP team.
For help at your child’s next IEP meeting, more information about our special education advocacy services, or for a FREE 20-minute consultation to see if we are a good fit for you, call or email today!
As parents, we understand. As advocates, we can help.