From Members of the CAC

Be prepared!

·        Take the IEP Training class that is offered by Parents Helping Parents (find a schedule of classes at www.php.com).

·        Know who will be attending and what their roles are with respect to your individual child’s needs.

·        Know your rights.  You’ll find a list of IEP resources on our web site, www.selpa1cac.org, or you can call PHP.

·        Talk with your child’s teacher so that the meeting can be a way to formalize ideas that have been mostly hammered out in advance.

·        Talk to other parents so that you have a good idea of what services and resources are available in your district. Ask your IEP administrator if he can recommend another parent you can talk to.  You can also consult your child's therapists, others in the school district (the special ed director, the programs specialist) or an advocate (the CAC, PHP, or an independent advocate) for examples of what a school district is able to do.

·        Get copies of the school’s information a few days before the IEP meeting.  Give the school copies of your information ahead of time:  your goals, concerns, and perhaps articles about your child’s condition and recommended approaches to address that condition.  This way you don’thave to hurriedly read something during the meeting.  And do feel free to write example goals; the school is usually happy to work from them.

·        Be ready to answer specific questions about what behaviors are especially challenging and how you'd like to see your child behave differently. Have a list ready of your child’s specific academic problems (example: he can't hold a pencil or sit still for more than 5 minutes).

·        Also be ready to list your child’s strengths so that the people in attendance can get an idea of the whole child.

At the meeting:

·        Bring your spouse with you to show that you are united.  If you can’t bring a spouse, bring a second set of eyes and ears.

·        The old saying, "You can catch more flies with sugar than vinegar" holds true.  Phrase things in a positive way.  Always recount the successes before you discuss the problems.

·        Think of the meeting as a collaboration.  Consider the idea that hearing the different perceptions that others have of your child may help you to better understand him.  Try to listen with an open mind. Remember that your child's behavior at school may be different than how it is at home, and that the IEP is about the school portion only of your child's life. 

·        Be clear, be fair and be polite at all times.  Remember to bring your sense of humor to the meeting. It is in your and your child's best interest to avoid becoming adversarial.

·        Don't be afraid to call another meeting, even if it's been a pain to coordinate everybody's schedule. Good reasons to call another meeting can include:

-        The form has not been prepared. There should already have been some footwork done to prepare for the IEP meeting, such as filling out Form A-1, which shows where the child is right now. Which means the person responsible for the IEP form (usually the resource teacher) has already consulted with the child's teacher and gotten a picture of the child's current abilities, etc. (and don't let them just photocopy last year's!).

-        You have not reached agreement on goals and accommodations. More information or back-up may be needed, so adjourn the meeting and arrange to meet again later.

·        Be hard on the issues and soft on the people.  Learn how to leave you emotions at home.  Learn how to use school jargon.  Remember that no one is as interested in your child as you are.  Become an expert on your child.

·        Do not sign the IEP until you have slept on it if you have even the slightest reservations.  It is easy to wait and hard to revoke it once signed. 

Some other tips:

·        Having an IEP meeting in June can be a problem. What the school has said it would do can get lost in the year-end shuffle and everybody will have forgotten everything by the time the new school year rolls around. Ask to have it moved up to May or even April, so that some things can happen before the summer break.

·        It's good to try to meet with the new teacher, in the new classroom, just before the start of school. (It often has to be the day before the first day of school, since many teachers aren't back until then.) This doesn't have to an IEP meeting — although it will likely involve everyone who was at the IEP — but merely an "orientation," where everyone can meet each other, look at the classroom environment and identify potential problems.

·        Put everything in writing – all requests, meeting minutes, reports, etc.  A paper trail can be a useful tool if questions come up.

·        Be aware that there is a stay in place provision in the law – your child remains in their current placement until an agreement is reached about a new placement.  This is great if you like where they are…and not so great if you are trying for a new placement.

·        If you think you have compliance issues or any other issues, get in touch with the CAC warm line.  They are familiar with district personnel and can help you find the best way to proceed.