3rd update/dilemma/ in #22-progress undone -IEP changes made without my consent

[JustMe]

I am livid. In June, after school was out, I met with 2 special ed administrations and my advocate. The end result was an IEP I was thrilled with--I finally felt it was appropriate for my dd. Now, there were many meetings before this including one in which the biggest spec ed wig scrutinized every accommodation I wanted and word-smithed it to be acceptable to her. Okay, great, we are starting the new year with a new spec ed teacher who I am told (in a much nicer way) is much better than the last one. So, dd's teacher called me before school stared and we agreed that she and I would meet to discuss some things about the coming year (she is great, aware of all the struggles and very supportive). When I arrived, teacher informed me, new spec. ed teacher would join us soon. Teacher was jazzed about this, says dont worry, new spec ed teacher is great, etc. New spec ed teacher joins and informs me some dates that are on the IEP the admins and I wrote in June were not changed appropriately (they basically said she would meet her goals by the next month, which of course is not possible). I agreed we could change the dates and I would sign whatever needed to be sign. Great, right?

Well, along with other things that i won't even get into, today I go to dd's classroom to sign a copy of the IEP with new dates, as requested by spec. ed teacher and I look it over. She has removed 6 accommodations that I worked hard to get on there, that the spec ed admin scrutinized. She also states that the teacher called me to ask me to have an IEP meeting, which was not true. If I had known this was an IEP meeting I would have had my advocate and a spec ed admin there AND I would have prepared differently.

I have sent an e-mail to the spec ed admin but as I said, I am livid, and am worried that this is NOT a misunderstanding and the spec ed admin. will back up the new teacher. Yuck. This is really ridiculous.

[Sweetum]

Document everything. And I mean everything. Make sure everything is in writing. If required record the IEP meeting ( I believe you need to give 24hour written notice). Now, know that the notice to record will put them on guard and they will say everything thatis right. But if you have enough documentation that proves that everyone agreed to the accommodations, I wouldn't worry. Also know that typically parents start to record when they are seeing a legal battle down the line. Sometimes this is enough to make the sped sit up straight and do things right. Sometimes, they do view it as a call for a legal battle. So, tread carefully if doing this. Wouldn't hurt to consult with a sped advocate.
Good luck...

[crl]

I hope you refused to sign? I believe that if you refused to sign the last IEP remains in effect until you sign a new one or they take you to due process to get a new one.

Catherine

[sariana]

I am so sorry. I once had a school psychologist try to "sneak" something into DS's IEP. Fortunately I read everything before signing. I did lots of research before speaking to her again. A few "dropped" terms (language straight from the IDEA) ended that tactic pretty quickly. They never tried to slip anything by me again.

Know your rights, and always be confident. It is so difficult and so unfair, but at least we can be grateful that the IDEA exists and they there are still those willing to fight for it.

Good luck with your IEP team. Hopefully you still have advocates and this can be cleared up quickly.

[JustMe]

Thank you so much everyone. It is helping me to see some responses as my blood feels like it is boiling and my blood pressure is up. Yes, I refused to sign (although I am not sure if/when that will be communicated to her because, as I said, it was left in the reg ed classroom for me to sign. I told the reg ed teacher I was not going to sign and why, so we would assume that gets to the spec ed teacher, but you never know.

As I said, I already sent an e-mail to the spec ed adminstrator and my advocate that pretty much says I was not informed of an IEP meeting either in advance or during the meeting (I thought it was a check-in and we did agree to change some dates), that I do not agree, that there are incorrect statements in the IEP, and that I really hope this is a misunderstanding that can be cleared up.

The problem is that the school district is so backed up, they are only attending to the biggest fire. I already talked to a spec ed lawyer by phone (before this happened b/c there are still other issues), but I didn't really get the feeling she could do much for me. It seems like things are systemically screwed. Yes, I know there have been significant budget cuts that are terrible, but I work for an agency that has suffered equivalent cuts and we have re-structured to best serve our clients.

Can I find out legal stuff/IDEA stuff anywhere else on-line besides the wrightslaw website. I seriously think I need remedial help in navigating that website.

[egoldber]

It's not just you. I think the wrightslaw site is terribly confusing! And since so many things are state specific, it's hard to figure out what applies to you and what doesn't!

[Sweetum]

It's not just you. I think the wrightslaw site is terribly confusing! And since so many things are state specific, it's hard to figure out what applies to you and what doesn't!

Yeah that! Sorry OT

[KpbS]

I'm so sorry, OP. That is beyond frustrating and must feel like you've been ambushed.

Hang in there and I hope you can get it cleared up soon.

[Gena]

I'm sorry you are having such a hard time with the district, especially after you had such a hard-fought victory to get the accommodations in place!

Can I find out legal stuff/IDEA stuff anywhere else on-line besides the wrightslaw website. I seriously think I need remedial help in navigating that website.

The Wrightslaw website can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate, but there is so much good information there that it really does pay off to take the time to look around and figure it out. If you haven't already read their book "From Emotions to Advocacy", I highly recommend it. The book has chapters about understanding school culture, working with difficult people, how to use and understand test scores, due process, and what to do/not to do to effectively advocate for your child. The book has its own companion website with supplemental information: http://www.fetaweb.com/ and this website is a lot easier to navigate.

Personally, I find the main website much easier to use after I attended one of Pete Wright's advocacy training conferences. It was one day (6 hours) and it completely changed the way I approach IEP meetings and how I understood my son's evaluations and progress notes. If you cannot attend a conference, you can get a DVD of a training session. http://www.wrightslaw.com/store/cd.law.advo.html

Another good resource is your local (state) Parent Center. A list of centers for each state is here: http://www.parentcenternetwork.org/p...erlisting.html

[JustMe]

So this morning I got an e-mail from big wig #2, agreeing that she thought a meeting was a good idea. She says she can't do it this week, but included big wig #1 (meaning the highest up), along with some times bw#1 is available. I e-mailed back, but it doesn't seem there are any times this week that the four of us (bw#1, me, advocate, spec ed teacher can meet), so we will see. I did e-mail back just mentioning there was one time when all of us were available, except the spec ed teacher, thinking that I would be fine meeting without her or that maybe she would be told to make herself avaiable by bw#1. Not sure if that will happen, but hopefully we will meet next week if nothing else.

I am nervous and very much on edge. I want this to be resolved and in a good way. Bw#1 can be really intimidating and tough. I have experienced that side of her in the first meetings she attended, but in the later meanings she was pleasant and very helpful. Not sure which role she will play this time.

I was able to find the spec ed laws for my state. I don't have to sign, but (as far as I can tell), they are supposed to give me notice in advance about an IEP meeting and when they want to change the IEP. OTOH, this can be one of those technicalities with loopholes (like the IEP they gave me was notice, whether or not I agree/sign). I have read from Emotions to Advocacy in the past and, honestly, found that things work differently in my district (like I have gotten some of the best results when I was really emotional).

We will see how it goes, if it doesnt go well, I almost feel that I will have no choice but to contact a lawyer, but I really dont know that route would go any better.

Any more advice as well as good old fashioned PTs/BBB mojo would be appreciated. This got moved from the lounge, so hopefully enough people will see it. I know all the "spec ed" parents look here, but sometimes other people have relevant knowledge as well.