Janis

I am embarrassed asking this but there is so much conflicting data over the years Current district grades are unreliable. There is no transparency. Pa is still new to us. MAP scores done between December and June showed low growth and basic, below basic. PSSAs were basic (I think that was the term). Historically, my kiddos have uneven profiles (adhd, SLD, ASD …diagnoses at different times). Also at age 4, NVLD, and other disorders unspecified, sensory, coordination of motor… I was given this info for twins as a single mom during a messy divorce. Do the WIAT or WCJ scores tell you if your kiddo is at grade level? One kiddo just told me he did the Firefly this week and in October…. I asked district for all data (specifically), and was told they don’t administer anything but Keystones. I don’t know much about IXL, but did ask for the “full” version to be administered in all areas. I was ignored, of course. But the other kiddo told me he has IXL assignments over the break…ugh. If anyone can tell me exactly what assessments, tests, etc. will inform me about grade level, or any other ways I would really appreciate it.

About the NOREP (Pa)…..just for me to be 100% clear, once a Pa district issues a NOREP, it will go in effect in 10 days whether I agree, remain silent, or disagree. If I disagree, the only way to stop NOREP action is by filing due process. Is that correct? If so, this is quite harsh… District can say they issued a NOREP and there is nothing that can be done? Also, if I do not agree with the way a goal was written, the only thing I can do is file due process? In 10 days? When not in agreement with something on a NOREP, how can this be clearly documented if I am unable to file due process? Any advice, tips, etc. on dealing with Pa’s NOREPs would be greatly appreciated.

The district we are currently attending in PA uses Google Meets for IEP meetings (for district members to “pop in”). Something seemed off from the first meetings where director and LEA would be staring at computers and then blurt something out as if someone was telling them what to say. Then in the meeting notes within IEPs strange things were quoted with some things that I said being directly quoted which would not be a note I would write down or include because it was not important….. Then I got the otter app. I believe our district has been recording/transcribing the meetings all along. I believe Google Suites has this capability and the whomever hosts the meeting has control over this as well as allowing other people who are attending virtually (I would not know) to “chat” with other district members and also record/transcribe. I wonder if the Google Meets that is now on the school issued Chromebooks allows district staff to record/transcribe when kids use it….which they will have to do on snow days. Our district was in court because the utilize chat through Google which auto deletes after 24 hours. This is a violation across many areas (Sunshine laws and retaining records). I am not savvy with technology but would like to know exactly what has been happening with Google meets/Suites, etc… Is there a way to ask so I am not ignored?

It is so hard reading over and over the many ways our kids are not being helped:(. I agree with you: the diagnoses at this point don’t matter-just please help! Mine are in a special education class for EF… it is the same curriculum they used last year and is utterly ineffective. It is 15 minute videos about strategies that are not tied to anything at the school. Ex: note-taking strategies in a 15 minute video when no classes require notes, and they never practice (note-taking or anything else) other than 5 minutes after the video. I asked for explicit teaching in using an agenda with assignments listed, so they could chucnk and plan out study times for tests….the planner was used once. once. And they sit on their cell phones an average of 50 minutes per class. It is an hour an 20 minutes twice a week. This is the “programming”… for EF and social skills. We have never had effective social skills in school…I don’t know if such a thing exists

The FBA was lost in all the other chaos…I just found where they only have my kiddos self-report and their school observation…..and everything is great!!!! Are they allowed to actually say they completed a FBA without parent input? I asked for a FBA with the initial ER in this state. They also did not ask for my input on any OT/sensory ratings…. but I would think the FBA should have parent input for kiddos with ASD, adhd, etc….

I received those emails also…. I will not email questions anymore. They don’t answer them anyway. We did not have the eligibility meetings…and the school psychologist was not present at the initial IEPs…even though she was listed as invited/attending. I didn’t know who anyone was, and the ER and IEP meeting together was utterly confusing. I didn’t get to meet with the school psychologist until one month after the IEP meetings which were 30 days after the ERs. (They are skilled at prolonging everything) The hard copy IEPs that I require have been printed in ridiculously small font, and then with the right hand margins (with info) cut off. They issue NOREPs backdated with IEPs I can’t read. And then they have the participants incorrect. I am also subjected to one hour max everything, including IEP meetings. I do recommend you record the meetings. In Ca, parents give district 24 hours notice. in Pa, they told me I wasn’t allowed to record. Then the director emailed me 3 months later apologizing because he just found the district policy which is 5 days notice. Then they tried to have meetings sooner than 5 days (then they had virtual meetings without me and list these on the IEPs to make me look bad. Recording what really happens in those meetings is very important. Ask for your district policy and follow it. (Our district is also doing the 45 days after not providing all records with first request… they do it continually)

I asked for an independent educational evaluation and an independent speech and language evaluation and an independent ot evaluation. For both. They stated they will fund with a cap at $6k. The evaluators I spoke with said that they will do a neuropsych (due to their profiles). These were done in CA also. The speech eval will go over the cap…not sure how to handle that. Please advise away as these might be it…my kiddos are 15. (do they have to be geared towards one area? Because autism and academics, and prematurity and IVHs in the NICU all impact my kiddos and overlap….)

They are now paying for IEEs… I needed that win. bullying happens at least weekly, often daily. Now one bully is hanging out with my kiddo and I don’t believe it is genuine. I am getting very worried about what is happening behind those walls. An administrator keeps approaching my kids about different things, which appears to be “fulfilling” some IEP jargon that I have no idea how it got there like, “student will have an opportunity to participate in a club..” and administrator pulls my kiddo from class and he spends 30 minutes with a group of kids which we learn was the Leadership club. Last week the administrator pulled him out of class to introduce him to the coach of sports team…neither I or my kiddo discussed this sport with the administrator so it feels a bit off…especially as he did not return my call 3 weeks ago. We faced horrific retaliation in Ca… it is hard to have an open mind and trust after that, especially when my gut starts talking to me. Parent Concerns letters…I followed Lisa’s advice and do write these. But district buried these in the IEPs…..and then they interjected throughout my letter with bullet pointed responses to each area, most of which was just false. They also placed an email I sent to the director in the IEP…not a parent concern letter, just an email. And they refuse to take it out. They have also forged my signature (electronic) without my permission. The list goes on. At least I am now recording the meetings (with their permission). I have proof of what is transpiring…there is just nothing I can do about it without a lawyer. This has gone on for years with my kiddos, and they are in 9th grade. I am sickened that I have been ineffective for so long…and my advocating just makes things worse for them. I asked for both to be administered the full IXL in math and ELA…that was a month ago. They just ignore me. I have no way of understanding what grade level my kids are on, that I’m aware of. So I asked for IXL… but they won’t do it, I’m sure. They just say their grades are great. I have so many concerns that I don’t know what to put in the letter…I welcome any advice on this. I can only email the director and LEA…and they do not pass on my questions to the teachers. I tried to email one teacher one time this year for one student…Director instructed teacher to not respond. I sent the email to the director to send to teacher…nothing. That was a month and a half ago. They also will not give me my kiddos work. Much of it only they can access on their Chromebooks. We cannot print their work from their Chromebooks…tech support told me i have to ask the teachers because only they can do that…Director determined at the IEP meetings that providing me with hard copy student work is not a provision of FAPE.

Thank you for responding! This is our first year in Pa…. I didn’t agree and didn’t sign (I now understand how Pa NOREPs work. District is not teaching at all. Just accommodating. They essentially ignore my concerns with the goals (which are meaningless)….at the last meeting instead of creating more ambitious and measurable goals, the director of special services brought in his own goals with no input from any team members. There was no time to discuss what he brought in (the hour was up), so the IEP I was presented with had “revised” goals…or disappearing goals. The toothless goals which my kiddo did not meet and made no progress disappeared into revised goals which have nothing to do with the unmet annual goal. I had never seen this, I went to the superintendent as I am done with the tricks. At that meeting I was advised to ask for an informal meeting since I did not understand the whole IEP as written. That was 6 days after the NOREP. I requested the informal meeting which took place 2 weeks later…but they had tricked me again…it went into effect on day 10…. I even asked both the director of special services and the LEA separately if I should bring goals that I think are appropriate to the meeting and they both said no. now I know why

Our district just agreed to fund IEEs for my 9th graders and we want to get started. We have been in PA (Bucks County) for 1 year and are seeking recommendations.

9th grader with SLD in written expression being ignored. District initially created this Writing Goal for him to write a paragraph with no more than 2 errors in conventions on 3 out of 4 writing assignments per quarter for at least 2 quarters…. (I was never in agreement with this as proposed on 2/21/25.) I am attaching screenshot of the progress monitoring, then a screenshot of how they are now measuring this in his IEP, and their proposed revision of this goal. He did not meet this simple goal. They give him “A”s in his classes and on his assignments which they now won’t provide to me. His work is shocking. Especially compared to the grades. I need help writing goals for him. He scored 7% on his essay comp WIAt (12/2024), has a SLD in written expression per IEE (plus others), first eligibility in 1st grade was SLD which was lost in 4th grade (Covid) I was not in agreement.

My 9th grade Twins are now in HS in PA (moved from CA 1 yr ago). They have Autism, ADHD, SLD written expression. Multiple issues with district: our initial ERs completed 1/28/25. I am just grasping that District administered WIATs in 11/24 and retested in 12/24. RETESTED WIAT-4! And they have evaded all of my questions and lied. I posed this question to assistant superintendent “are the 12/24 WIATs retests?” He will not answer. Prior to my understanding that they did this, I asked for IEEs, they refused so I withdrew my request (not going into due process alone again). The next day they issued requests for re-evaluations, alocuting certain assessments (TOWL4) but won’t confirm using the essay composition subtest because that is where my students do not have “average” scores. District cited their extensive and exhaustive assessments to deny the IEE, but then issues these reevaluation requests for only the TOWL 4 and review of records. I’m sure to exit one kiddo ou out of special ed. The Consult line informed me yesterday that I cannot request IEEs again now because the district is proposing to reevaluate. They also said I cannot dispute the initial ERs (completed 1/28/26) now that district wants to reevaluate. In addition to invalid WIATs there are other issues such as including all scores that I provided Except the towl4 essay composition score from 2023. They cherry-pick everything. They also had one teacher fill out sensory ratings (after having students for 2 weeks), said my kiddo did not qualify for speech anymore then gave him some speech services then just stopped and refuse to provide any records of this I requested and later an attorney requested… nothing. 2 weeks into 9th grade, one kiddo is called “stuttering autistic freak” plus much more ongoing, but at the 2 IEP meetings after that, they insist that he tested average in speech and doesn’t qualify. I have not been able to get an advocate, and potential attorney insists on IEEs (that will be around $13k for 2 kids and, District only has to “consider” privately funded IEEs. There are more issues (electronically signing my signature without my consent, sending NOREPs through automated system (that I don’t access and they are fully aware…. Then telling me the programming is in place because the NOREPS were issued over 10 days ago).,, it goes on. i really want to write state complaints but i am not sure which are procedural issues or what to ask as a remedy. district also filed for mediation citing “we refuse to revise IEPs and NOREPs via email” which is funny because I will only do hard copy but….they filed these 2 hours after my meeting with superintendent, and emailed me asking me to list my areas of issue and peppered certain issues I believe because they wanted to add my big issues to their mediation, and when there is no agreement, they can file for due process on the issues that they want a quick and favorable ruling so I can not bring it myself when I have an attorney ( attorney wants IEEs done before representing us). ugh…

Thank you:). I know a few there…. And it is a great place to start. I really am looking for direct referrals.

Hi….I’ve been a member for a while. I’m in California, I have twins, I’m a single mom, and I have a very big case against the school district and beyond. District is pushing to settle (mediator contacting me daily now), but I don’t have a lawyer, and am not equipped to negotiate settlement agreement that spans special Ed, civil rights, personal injury, etc. District understands this is what we are both talking about. Please reach out to me asap with any strong attorney referrals. Again, this goes far beyond compensatory services and requires an attorney who can jump in now, understand multiple overlapping areas of law, and negotiate a settlement agreement now.

First, I must say that A Day in Our Shoes has been my lifeline and enabled me to get IEE’s for both of my kiddos as well as compensatory services that have finally started. Unfortunately, our district, and SELPA in California are shameless. (Paid out $46 million to twins with special needs a few months ago). I’m strongly considering putting us all on a plane and moving back to Yardley, Pa so we can be with my mom. That would put my twins in middle school in the Pennsbury school district. If you have heard any reviews and are comfortable sharing, I would love to hear them. Or if there is a stand-out school or district in that area that you know of, please let me know. My twins have different needs but overall top priorities I’m seeking are: no tolerance for bullying, competence with SLD (written expression), social skills, and outside physical activity (games, soccer, basketball, etc.). My kiddos still have fine motor struggles but have always been exceptional with gross motor skills….one is a sponsored skateboarder. And the IEE for one kiddo found him to have math skills at college level, which qualifies him as twice exceptional here. Things are just so bad here that I am getting a home medical note to avoid truancy retaliation while figuring out where we should go. I greatly appreciate any recommendations, ideas or thoughts