IEP question

[sheree]

What can I do if my family had been retaliated against after stating I'll have to call the State if my child's IEP isn't meet. This has been going on since my child was in grade school. They have tried to punish twice. Once with tring to take my child's IEP away and now she's in HS and now it's truancy and treating with Court.

[Francesca Sternfeld]

Hi Sheree,

This sounds so frustrating, upsetting and unjust. I don't know what state you're in, but here in New York we have Advocates for Children, which specializes specifically in supporting parents to know and assert their legal rights in situations just like this. Even if you're not in NY, advocatesforchildren.org might be a good place to start for clear, accessible information on parental rights. 

[JSD24]

Get the state involved.  File a complaint.  I worked with a family where the child was severely autistic and could barely leave the house.  (It took 6 weeks of working with her daily for her to go to the pool in her complex.)  They ended up in court for truancy but I think the judge sided with the family because the fine was $5.

Every state has an advocacy center.  Some have an 'Ed Law' agency.  There are disability rights groups as well as the Arc who might be able to help you.  I'd document what's going on.  (In this case, the parents never got an invitation to an IEP meeting & the school changed the placement w/o them participating in the meeting.)  PA has a Consult Line where you can call/email and get questions answered.  If you provide where you live, we could provide a better list of resources.

BTW, retaliation is hard to prove.  If the school wants to pull the IEP, that often happens when the school eval isn't complete/accurate.  This is when an IEE is needed.  Schools don't see what parents are going through to get their child to school when they are refusing.  And when the child's at school, they mask so they aren't bullied.  Child looks fine & parents look negligent but looks are deceiving.

[Lisa Lightner]

Retaliation can be hard to prove. 

 

There are some tips in here: https://adayinourshoes.com/retaliation-iep-parent-special-education/