Summertime : : IEP Time

Yes, we interrupt this summertime of beach trips and bike rides and (in the US) Extended School Year" to talk about IEPs. Specifically, Charlie's IEP: While his IEP meeting back in May was cordial and efficient, things thereafter took an interesting turn. This morning, there is a district-requested IEP meeting regarding Charlie's education.

(And if I'm sounding vague here, it's intentional: I'm not the only parent curious about whether her child's school district and others read her blog.) (Hello school district, if you are reading.)

So I spent some of a sunshiney Monday in July reviewing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act . Many of you are more than familiar with the Wrightslaw website and publications, as well as sites like AboutAutismLaw and COPAA, the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates. COPAA holds that "the key to effective educational programs for children with disabilities is collaboration -as equals- by parents and educators." I always remind myself, no matter how many IEP meetings we've been through, how many books and studies we've read, how many conferences and lectures we've attended, how many parents we've been in touch with about; no matter how set in my memory acronyms like "FAPE and "LRE" have become, I still need to refresh my knowledge. Being an equal part of our son's education means that we have to be, as we are, actively and thoroughly involved in his learning.

In light of this, I've been reflecting on a statement from a July 12th article in the Denver Post about special education in Colorado, which "ranks 51st in a field that includes the District of Columbia for its contribution to special education." The Special Education Program at the Legal Center for People With Disabilities and Older People found that, in the Aurora Public School District,

.....staffers [were] doing what they thought was right — as far as they knew [my emphasis].

How often is it that special education teachers and staff honestly think they are doing the right thing, but they really aren't according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act?

The Denver Post notes the rise in students with disabilities in general and with autism in particular in Colorado schools, as well as the fact that funding to school districts has not risen to match the needs of students. The recent report on restraint and aversives in public schools in the US is noted. Colorado does have rules restricting the use of restraints (it is one of seven states that do) but does not have such regulations for the use of seclusion and isolation. Do teachers know this? Are strategies devised and approved by parents so that, if (and when) a student with disabilities might become very upset, teachers and staff know in advance what is legal and safe to do?

It's a challenge enough, it seems, for teachers and staff to be able to adequately communicate about what is going on in the classroom. But how many conflicts, how much confusion, could be avoided with better adherence too and knowledge of the law by school districts?

It's only because of a law---IDEA---that my son and many children are able to be in school at all, and are able to get the education they need in order to lead the full, productive, good lives that is their civil right. And because of the ongoing issue of communication for Charlie and individuals like him, and the constant potential for miscommunication and of his rights and safety not being respected, invoke IDEA we must, year in and year out. Education takes no vacation.