Cheryl: I am a retired SDC teacher, acting now as an (unpaid) advocate for SPED kids and their parents in a small, rural school district in CA. A have a few students whose IEPs have been so protracted and drawn-out (the district never allows more than an hour for an IEP; then they act as if they’ve given you a gift if it goes longer!), that finalizing an IEP can take months. By the time the IEP is finished, the next IEP is literally only 6-8 months away; teachers are tired of meeting for the same kid – which makes them much less invested – and the parent is in trouble with work for having to take time off during the work day! Is there something – a law, a ruling – that calls this for what it is (stalling, wasting the Team’s time, wearing down the parents, etc.)?
My kid’s school uses this strategy all of the time. When it happens, I send an e-mail and ask for the finale offer of FAPE or a prior written notice. I feel like some families go along with these kinds of delay tactics because filing a complaint or requesting due process is scary.
THis happened to us all the time. One thing we did was to ask for a draft copy of the IEP ahead of time. I added my notes of what we wanted, liked , disliked etc and then sent it back in the save time. That helped a lot. I never signed anything until I got a copy back with all of the changes so I was sure they were incorporated. I either signed it and sent it in or make additional changes and went back and forth that way. Meeting in the morning before school helps them work more efficiently. You may sign out the regular ed teacher who is governed by the union and all other adm staff are not so they can stay as long as you want. Hope these ideas help.