Lisa Lightner

This is not something specifically defined by IDEA. However, IDEA does give parents the right to "meaningful parent participation." Does a school policy supersede meaningful parent participation? Not usually. However, it will take a formal complaint of some kind to undo this. That might be an OCR complaint, compliance complaint.

I'm a stickler about one thing--NO DIAGNOSES on the profile page. https://adayinourshoes.com/front-page-iep/

Question: How do you handle it when the school resists adding certain supports or services to your child's IEP? Any success stories or strategies to share?

Question: What strategies have you found effective for managing your child's behavior at school? How did you work these into their IEP?

Question: How do you interpret your child’s progress data from their IEP? Any tips or tools that have helped you understand it better?

Question: For parents whose kids are transitioning from one school level to another (e.g., elementary to middle school), what tips or advice would you share? What worked, and what didn’t?

Question: What has been your biggest win in advocating for your child? And what lesson did you learn from a challenging IEP meeting?

Question: What's the most creative or unusual accommodation you've successfully included in your child's IEP? How has it helped them?

Question: Share a time when you finally felt heard by your child's IEP team. What made the difference, and how did it impact your child's education?

By and large, retention doesn't work. The data doesn't support it. The school has to provide you a PWN with what they deny in regards to the IEP stuff. Look at your school website for appeals or grievance procedures regarding the grade retention.

If you wish for him to do a 13th or 14th year, then you need to be setting that groundwork NOW. You cannot go to a meeting in April or May and expect this to happen. Here is what goes into a solid transition plan: https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-transition/ And here are some things to know about the levels of guardianship, POA, etc. A letter stating as much may not be enough. https://adayinourshoes.com/guardianship-disabled-child/

Question: How did you keep your child engaged and learning over the summer break? Do you incorporate any IEP goals into summer activities?

Pick whichever want you feel is best--and don't over think it. We can always move them but we're not too stuck on "rules" here. As long as everyone is kind and helpful, I don't heavy-hand moderate the stuff. Everyone's first post is moderated to prevent spam, but once you've been approved you should be able to post, with the exception that the filters sometimes "hold" links if you post a link.

Ask them to show you where it says that. A 13th year is used for a variety of things, including lots of non-credit stuff. The 13th and 14th year actually wasn't designed for delayed credit completion. I'd start by asking for a vocational evaluation or other things that would warrant another year, and also what it's going to look like. I strongly encourage everyone to take my transition workshop series, so you know how to effectively navigate this process. https://adayinourshoes.heightsplatform.com/courses/crushing-it-in-iep-transition-for-parents/preview

Yes, I'm a firm believer of "all ships in the harbor rise together" and that by all of us advocating, we can change the course. The other option is your state complaint process, or OCR, or the other complaint options.

Every time someone posts for the first time....you will have to be approved. Subsequent posts should go through without approval. But, if you post a link...sometimes it gets held. If you're a frequent poster, it shouldn't. But bots gonna bot...and they don't always get it right.

This isn't going to be something you'll find defined anywhere. Sure, psychologists, neuropsychologists and the like will all have their opinions. And, there are always the assessment protocols which may not be being followed. But keep it focused on your son. How is this affecting him? Is it affecting him? How? How is it affecting his education? Do you agree with the assessments or the evaluation reports? If not, time to consider an IEE. https://adayinourshoes.com/iee-independent-education-evaluation/

My online training is four components in one-- Parent Advocacy Training Pro Advocacy Training Deep Dives into IEP topics includes IEP toolkit I need to work harder at better messaging, but I'm an advocate....not a marketer! I've been trying to message it differently--because I want people to realize that it's for both parent advocates and pro advocates--it just matters which components you do. The parent advocate may never do the pro modules, but they will always have access to them. The world needs more advocates, so I want everyone to have access if they should ever decide to change careers. And, for the pro advocates, I don't want them to think "well, I'm already working, so I don't need this." Because the pro advocates get 3 live attorney chats every fall and spring--so that alone makes it worth it. Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.

We just testing the security settings, pay no attention to us!

I'm confused as to the timelines you have listed. Using either 3/14 or 3/16, barely a week has passed. Each state has their own set of timelines. A state can do more than what IEP calls for (in favor of the student) but it cannot do less. In most cases, IDEA does not even define timelines but uses vague language like "reasonable." Most would find 5-7 days still reasonable.

Read this and listen to the attorney podcast episode (embedded) about unilateral placement. It's an extreme measure, but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. Esp if you have data on your side. https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-unilateral-placement/

This should help--but read the whole thing, esp the part about a FERPA request may be considered a hostile act. https://adayinourshoes.com/ferpa-regulations/

Yes, my overarching philosophy is that "if you're doing it, put it in the IEP." The IEP is the only way we can hold the team accountable to things actually happening. If it doesn't happen, a "but you said in the meeting you would do this" 6 or 8 months later....is meaningless. I either write on the PWN and send it back, or otherwise communicate that I expect to see this on the IEP or PWN.

Hospital and homebound are the most restrictive environments. But, some kids need that. If the student has major behaviors at home, I am assuming that in a public school setting with noise, commotion, transitions and distractions...it would likely be worse? Or that is the parents' concern? An out of district placement in a small setting, yes, that is an option. The IEP teams (or LEA) can come to the table at any time and change their offer of FAPE, which may or may not include a placement change. I would advise that the parents take a step back, take a look at their child, and envision a setting in which the child can be successful. What does that look like? And then begin their advocacy efforts to steer toward an IEP that provides that.

To piggy back on what Carolyn said, the school is required to evaluate in all areas of suspected disability. Sounds like that did not happen. https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-timeline-how-long-does-the-school-have-to/ https://adayinourshoes.com/iee-independent-education-evaluation/ You can also read up on OCR complaints for not following a 504 plan. https://adayinourshoes.com/office-civil-rights-complaint-special-education/