have to vent

[hillview]

NO word back from the busses. NOTHING since "we are running" and I emailed back asking for the schedule GRRR

School said they'd accept the evals we've paid to do. IEP eval meeting is scheduled for Sept 18. I hate this process.

[egoldber]

Sorry about the bus. That just sucks! I can't believe a bus service you're paying for can do that!

And I think September 18 is great! But make sure you know exactly what the goal of the meeting is and that the right people will be there.

After dealing with schools a lot, I have come to the conclusion that while there are no doubt some admin/special ed admins who try to game the system and stretch things out, I think a lot of it stems from the fact that it is an inefficient process being run by people for whom project management and scheduling are not their primary focus and concern, so it gets away from them. When I decided to treat the process like I would a work team with poor project management skills, my attitude improved.

I walk into every meeting with an agenda. I e-mail the agenda ahead of time. I don't walk out of the meeting without the action items and goals for next time being summarized. As I said before, bring your calendar and make sure to schedule the next meeting while sitting right there with all the right people already in the room. I follow-up with an e-mail a week later to make sure things are on track and to touch base. It makes for a much smoother process.

Now when I e-mail the agenda, I don't call it that. I say something like, "Mrs. X, I just wanted to confirm that at DS's IEP Eligibility Meeting on Sept. 18, we will be discussing A, B, and C. Is there any additional information I can bring to make sure that we have everything we need? Please let me know!"

[hillview]

Sorry about the bus. That just sucks! I can't believe a bus service you're paying for can do that!

And I think September 18 is great! But make sure you know exactly what the goal of the meeting is and that the right people will be there.

After dealing with schools a lot, I have come to the conclusion that while there are no doubt some admin/special ed admins who try to game the system and stretch things out, I think a lot of it stems from the fact that it is an inefficient process being run by people for whom project management and scheduling are not their primary focus and concern, so it gets away from them. When I decided to treat the process like I would a work team with poor project management skills, my attitude improved.

I walk into every meeting with an agenda. I e-mail the agenda ahead of time. I don't walk out of the meeting without the action items and goals for next time being summarized. As I said before, bring your calendar and make sure to schedule the next meeting while sitting right there with all the right people already in the room. I follow-up with an e-mail a week later to make sure things are on track and to touch base. It makes for a much smoother process.

Now when I e-mail the agenda, I don't call it that. I say something like, "Mrs. X, I just wanted to confirm that at DS's IEP Eligibility Meeting on Sept. 18, we will be discussing A, B, and C. Is there any additional information I can bring to make sure that we have everything we need? Please let me know!"

thanks, will work on the agenda thanks again!!

[Fairy]

NO word back from the busses. NOTHING since "we are running" and I emailed back asking for the schedule GRRR

ARE you kidding?! Jeez!

[niccig]

ARE you kidding?! Jeez!

Hang on...you're already paying for the bus service, which you can't use as don't know the schedule? I'd be demanding a refund for days couldn't use the bus as didn't know when to drop off/pick up DC.

[alexsmommy]

Don't just send an e-mail. Send a letter! They have to respond within a certain amount of time. Either put the letter directly into the Principals hands (or his secretary) or mail it certified mail. If they told you it wasn't a formal meeting to start the process than that meeting did not start any kind of clock and they don't have a deadline yet. Also be aware that the time frames are usually "school days". So 60 days, is actually 3+ months with weekends and days off.

The process is very long and the school is not obligated to give any type of support until the IEP is in place. Keep on them, but start with a formal letter stating that you need your child tested for Sped Services. Even with a neuropsych, the school will usually want to do their own testing as well...

Good luck.

I encourage all parents to send letters certified mail and to cc the district, (so around here I tell them, whomever is in charge at your school, the principal, principal's boss, assistant director of Special Ed, director of Special Ed, and the superintendent, all get a certified copy of your polite but direct communication as well as your advocate and make sure you list the cc's so they can see you are serious.) I'd google for free/low cost advocacy services if you don't know of anyone. Even if you never actually need that person to come out, it's an alert that you are seeking outside support. You want to be first in line when they are scheduling. They have a lot to juggle, but the squeaky wheel definitely tends to get the oil.