What Parents Want Administrators and E.C. Case Managers to Keep in Mind at I.E.P. meetings:
- The child is a child, who has a disability; the disability does not define the child
- Include the parent in the process of writing an I.E.P. that meets the child’s needs
- Listen to the parent, who best knows their child
- Be sincere, empathetic and kind
- Treat the child in an I.E.P. the way you would want your child to be treated
- Parents knows what their child cannot do, and they do not need to be told over-and-over again what is wrong with their child
- Jargon is difficult to understand; use layman’s terms, so parent understands the I.E.P. document
- Hold high expectations of all I.E.P. members: totally devote the time of an I.E.P. meeting to address the needs of the child; listen attentively and be an active participant; include a regular education teacher, who actually knows the child
- Parent may need resources to understand the disability of their child
- Many parents cry after an I.E.P. meeting
- Principals are supposed to be the expert on the child’s I.E.P., so know the manual, resources, and compliance
- Do not rush the process of an I.E.P. meeting
- Principal should conduct internal audits of I.E.P.s and accommodation logs
- LEA representative must be present at I.E.P. meeting from start to finish
- Never sign unfinished paperwork
- Principal needs to know how to evaluate E.C. Teacher
- Utilize internal resources in Central Office, then reach out to outside resources, as needed to train staff
- E.C. children are Regular Ed children first; try inclusive opportunities first
- In inclusion classrooms, the E.C. teacher should be modifying assignments, maintaining I.E.P. logs, pulling out struggling students
- Pre-K parents need help transitioning from an individual family service plan (IFSP) to individual educational plan (IEP)