If you are a parent with a child who has a disability of any kind, you know how difficult the world of special education can be regarding ensuring your child's need are met in the classroom. As a parent of a child with special needs, I can only imagine not being in the education field and trying to know how I am supposed to support my child in receiving all the benefits he or she is entitled to under FAPE (free appropriate public education).
The information for this component of the blog will be designed for any parent who may need additional support in advocating for a special needs child in the public school system. It is easy to get lost in the legal terms and acronyms so I will be diligent about clarifying terms. There will always be a "bottom line" when it comes to serving special needs students. That line clearly puts a great deal of responsibilty on the school district for trying many avenues in order to provide services to "level the playing field" so to speak for a child with special needs.
As a former principal, I know that not everything is "on the level" in special education meetings. Most of the time, I truly believe it is not a matter of malintent on the part of the school system. It is more often a matter of not knowing what can be done or how something can be done to serve a child. As a parent, you must know what your rights are, what questions to ask, and what your kids are entitled to throughout their public education years in order to advocate for them in the most assertive manner possible. If you wish to bounce ideas off of someone, need an advocate to support you during meetings, or need to know how to ask for something from the school, please let me know. It is only through working with the school district in a cooperative relationship that your child will be served most effectively and with success.
