IEP Help Santa Clara
IEP Help Santa Clara
Is your child’s school district doing what they agreed to do in the IEP you spent hours working on? Some school districts fully implement all aspects of the student’s IEP. Others follow some parts of the IEP and never quite get to some parts. A few districts do very little. Reasons they provide are “We don’t have a credentialed professional to provide that service right now, the teacher does not have enough time, or (more commonly) they do not give a reason and simply do not provide the service. As parents, we work hard on getting a solid IEP in place for our child and we expect the school district to follow the IEP. At times, it can be difficult to determine whether or not the student is receiving all services and accommodations. Sometimes parents do not notice right away. Between working, running a home, keeping a relationship with one’s spouse, being a single parent, and/or caring for the student and their siblings, it can be hard to notice when something does not happen.
What should a parent do when they realize the district is not fully implementing the IEP? The first place to start is to email the student’s case manager. Ask. We recommend starting low-key. Ask when and how the service is being implemented and (when appropriate) who is providing the service. If your child is able to tell you what is going on at school, ask him or her. For those of us who have children who are non-traditional communicators or less skilled at relaying details, documentation will have to come from the school. If the parent is satisfied that the student is receiving services or the school makes changes after the emailed request, then parents only need to keep an eye on it.
What if district refuses to provide services, or only has excuses why they cannot provide them? The State of California has a Compliance Complaint form that is easy to fill out. Here is a link to the California Department of Education’s compliance webpage:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/qa/cmplntproc.asp
The page contains a link that will allow parents to download a complaint document. It’s easy to fill out and send to the California Department of Education.
Why should parents do this? Isn’t it confrontational? If the student is not receiving services and the district is not responding to parent requests, then the parent is only asking for what the district has already agreed to do. It is not confrontational. What it does is makes the State aware that the district is not doing what it needs to do. The State staff will call you, and call the district. In most cases, this is enough. Why do districts listen when this happens? Being out of compliance with ‘their boss’ the State can impact the funds they receive from the State. It’s an excellent, no-cost way to get a child’s IEP implemented.
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As parents, we understand, As advocates, we can help.
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