Leaderboard

I would send a parent concerns email prior to the IEP meeting. I believe Lisa has posts and/or forms for this on her website, but basically it sets out the concerns you want addressed at the meeting. They should also copy and paste these concerns into the IEP document under the Parent Concerns section. Here is what I would suggest (don't include the additional suggestions I put in italics - those are follow up items for you). You are obviously free to change to your own wording and/or make the tone nicer (or meaner :)). 1. I would like to change my daughter's primary eligibility category back to SLD. (This will be hard to get and as you implied, is probably not a sword you want to fall on if she's receiving services for her SLD. However, I would ask at the meeting for the reasons and data that they are relying on to change the eligibility category - specifically, why they think the anxiety and executive function disabilities affect her more than her SLD. If she has more goals for the SLD than for the OHI, there's your argument. I would also ask that their refusal - assuming they do refuse - to change the eligibility category be provided in a Prior Written Notice. The only other things you can do to change this is request an Independent Educational Evaluation and/or file due process. My opinion would be that due process is too drastic for this particular issue.) 2. I would like the accommodation/SDI regarding note-taking to read as follows: "Do not require note-taking and provide notes from all learning sources including but not limited to the board, teacher lecture/instruction, and video presentations." This is because requiring someone with dyslexia to take notes restricts the disabled individual's access to the general education curriculum because of the effort that has to go into note-taking. The student misses information that is presented while she is concentrating on the task of note-taking. She is unable to do both - take notes and absorb all the information being present; as a result, her access to the general curriculum is restricted. I am asking that this barrier to her education be removed by providing complete teacher notes from all classes. (If you do not get this, ask for them to provide their refusal in a PWN.) 3. The parent concern listed in number 2 should alleviate this concern, but I insist that the special education minutes listed in my daughter's IEP not be used to assist her with finishing her notes from classes. This is a failure to follow the terms of the IEP document and if it continues, I will ask for compensatory time to make up for this loss of special education minutes. (Again, if refused, ask for it in a PWN.) 4. With respect to the SDI that provides for "opportunities to practice and gain skills...," I would like that removed due to lack of specificity as to what skills are to be practiced and because this is more appropriate for the area of transition. (Again, PWN.)