Amy: My son is in high school and I have had to continually contact the special Ed teacher and the principal with on going issues of the regular ed teaching not following the SDI’s in the IEP. I have met with the principal, I have met with the head of SE and it gets better for a few weeks then goes back to no modifications. I have been battling this with the district all year and now am at the end of my rope and my son is beyond frustrated. What can I do. It’s March, Do i request a transfer out of this classroom? Help
Please help me. I gave a list of modifications for my son with Autism. School responded with thank you for suggesting these modifications for your son’s instruction. We can implement them in his special education classes but it’s really too much to expect his general education teachers to accommodate hisneeds in their classes. What is the school’s problem? Why can’t they see that my son deserves to be in general education with his peers?
It appears they feel the general ed staff is “overworked”, & this request in “unreasonable”. Hopefully, staff above the campus level realize that this is their responsibility. Try involving central office special ed staff, if you have not already done so. Using the state dispute resolution process is also an option. Your state parent training and information project can assist you in dealing with the campus. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center
YOu may request an IEP meeting with the team and teacher. Find out what the issues are. If the teacher cannot do the modifications the school needs to provide the skills or someone to help otherwise they are not following the law. You can always get an advocate or attorney to go with you \to the meeting if you need to.
I would have transferred out prior to the end of the year however you can request an IEP meeting to discuss & find out what the issue is. The teachers really need to comply. If they need help to do this the school should provide this help. You can discuss with an attorney or advocate if this does not get better again.
Amy –
You have a few options. You can certainly ask that your daughter be moved out of the class, though I personally think this lets the teacher off the hook to easy.
You can continue to try to resolve it “in house.” A meeting with the director of special education and/or superintendent, followed up with a letter documenting the issue, may do the trick.
You also have several more formal options, outside the school district. You can file a state complaint regarding the lack of IEP compliance. You can also opt to file a civil rights complaint with OCR regarding the lack of compliance (which they consider a violation of Section 504 and the ADA). The outcome of either of these is likely to be similar, but state complaints are usually a quicker route.
A due process hearing may also be an option. You can argue that the lack of IEP compliance denies your child a free appropriate public education. This is obviously a more drastic step.
Your state may offer even more options. I encourage you to connect with your local parent center (http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center/). They can help you understand all your options.