What is an Educational Surrogate Parent?

An educational surrogate parent is an appointed individual who acts on behalf of a child with a disability to make decisions about their special education when their natural parent or legal guardian is unavailable. This is a protected right under the Individuals with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the surrogate parent has the same rights and responsibilities as a parent regarding the child's identification, evaluation, and educational placement. A surrogate parent is usually appointed when a child is in the custody of the state, or other circumstance where the child has no identified legal parents. 

What does an Educational Surrogate Parent do?

A surrogate parent fills the role of the parent in all matters relating to the child's special education needs. For example, they participate in all Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, provide consent for evaluations and agree or disagree with services and placement, review school records and receive progress reports, and work to ensure the child's needs are met and rights are protected. 

Where can I find more info about Educational Surrogate Parents?

A good place to start is the federal DOE site here, which offers information about educational surrogacy under IDEA. 

I am on one of your surrogate students' educational teams. What can I expect?

Yay! Thanks for the work you do. It can be intimidating to work with someone in a parent role who is also a professional in the field, and I get that. Please know that I appreciate clear communication, consistent updates using meaningful data, and a commitment to using evidence to improve practice. My goal is to hold teams accountable for creating excellent educational plans for students, the way any parent would if they could. If you are confused or need resources, please know that I would much rather work together than not! Reach out at any point to set up a time to connect about our shared students and their success. 

Here are some domains of practice that I think are central to working effectively together when I am in the school parent role:

• • Science of Reading (SOR) and evidence-based reading/writing instruction. I am a strong advocate for evidence based literacy instruction for all students who can be readers (which is almost all students). This means it's important for the whole team to understand the core components underpinning reading (see the 5 pillars of reading from the National Reading Panel) and how they fit together (see the article by Moats titled Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science). As part of the IEP process, I will categorically oppose any use of whole language strategies and "three cueing," as well as curricula that utilize such methods or de-emphasize real reading skills - including Fountas & Pinnell and Lucy Calkins. A great podcast I recommend that helps explain the backstory behind America's reading crisis is called Sold a Story, and it can be accessed for free wherever podcasts are available.

  • Direct Instruction (DI) and designing effective learning interventions. It's really important that we teach learners the foundational skills they need to know, rather than hoping that they figure it out on their own. This is true for all early learners, regardless of age or domain, and it's especially true for youth with disabilities. Direct Instruction is an approach to teaching that does just that. The National Institute for Direct Instruction has helpful resources to get started in learning more here. 

  • Proactive universal supports for social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills. Most of the students we work with will struggle in these areas. Using foundational, universal behavior supports in the learning environment is essential. The Center on PBIS has helpful resources and tools for this, including a customizable template that can be used at the classroom level. CASEL is a great resource for social emotional learning (SEL) evidence, including breakdowns of important skills. Of course, youth with more serious forms of behavioral health challenges will need specialized support, such as applied behavior analysis services and/or evidence based mental health services/consultation. 

  • Services aligned with best practices across all areas of functioning. As a surrogate parent, I focus on quality of life for the youth, and prioritize skills that will matter for adult success. This means thinking through the learning goals we are choosing for the youth, and asking ourselves whether they align with short and long term needs. There is a lot to know about programming for students with diverse needs! The AFIRM modules, for example, can help educators implement evidence based teaching strategies in a range of areas. 

  • Special education law. Most of us aren't attorneys, and that's more than okay! However, we all need to know the basic rules we're operating under. Here is a helpful link from the Maine DOE. I suggest starting by reading Chapter 101 of the Maine Unified Special Education Regulation (MUSER). 

I need to connect with you about one of the youth for whom you are an Educational Surrogate Parent. How can I call/email you?

Thanks for reaching out! Please connect with me at cleliasigaud [at] gmail [dot] com. Keep in mind that I am not able to be consistently available for crisis situations, so please access existing crisis resources for the student or call/text 988 if you have an immediate safety concern related to the youth's behavioral health.