IEP: Information You Need

BY: DR. MATT MCNIFF

In 1975, the federal government passed PL-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) that guaranteed a free, appropriate public education for children with disabilities in the least restrictive environment possible to meet their needs. In 1997, EHA went under substantial revisions and was renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In 2004, IDEA again underwent revisions to the current law that we follow to this day.

The IEP:

Every child who qualifies for special education is provided an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP must be held at least once a year and may be held sooner at the discretion of the parent or school personnel. The IEP is written according to the needs of each student.

Members of the IEP team:

• The IEP meeting requires that school districts ensure and document that members of the IEP team include:
• The parents/guardians of the child with a disability
• Not less than one regular education teacher of the child
• Not less than one special education teacher or special education provider of the child
• An administrative representative who is knowledgeable about special education programming, general education curriculum, and the availability of resources in the school district.
• An individual who can interpret the evaluation results
• The child with a disability, where appropriate
• At the discretion of the parent or the school district, other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child (advocates, relatives, service providers, lawyers, paraeducators, etc.)

If a child is attending a nonpublic school, a representative of the nonpublic school that the child attends should be included.

If the meeting will be considering the postsecondary goal s of the child and transition services needed, the school district must invite the child. If the child does not attend, the school district will take steps to ensure that the child’s preferences and interests are considered.