Robert: A parent is demanding that a teacher, who has not been involved with this student this year, be at a reevaluation eligibility/annual review meeting. While the regulations state:
At the discretion of the parent or the agency, other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child, including related services personnel as appropriate;
does this mean that the teacher, who does not want to attend, can be compelled to attend the meeting? Would this be put on the district’s meeting invitation if the parent is making the request?
Robert –
No, the parent cannot compel the teacher to attend. The regulation gives the parent the right to invite someone to the meeting, not force them to attend. The teacher could decline the parent’s invitation. The Team would, of course, still be required to have a general education teacher present for the meeting.
Regarding meeting notices, in my experience, schools will include parent invitees if they know about them in a timely manner. But I would suspect that they would get a pass if they missed an individual. Presumably the parent knows who he/she is inviting, and the requirement to list attendees is so the parent has a heads up regarding who the school has invited.