Horrible IEP meeting - I could use a shoulder

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that sounds very shady. They agreed on something at the last meeting (and then *something* happened to make them all change their mind and go with a different plan, letmeguess: a plan that is less expensive/easier/uses less resources?). Very shady.

What did your advocate say?

OP here. You hit the nail on the head! My advocate was outraged - stunned. Hadn't seen anything like this in years. We're touching base tomorrow when we've both calmed down.

[Anonymous]

What's the point of an IEP TEAM meeting if they are making decisions based on "data" that is not being reviewed at the meeting? A parent is supposed to be an equal member but they are preventing this if they did not provide you the data.

I think you should regroup with your advocate and come up with a new plan. You should also request to see "ALL of your child's educational records". Put the request in writing and send the letter to the school tomorrow. The data should be in your child's confidential records and you need the information for your advocate to review and understand. Perhaps it shows what they said. Perhaps it doesn't. You won't know till you see it and ask for a copy when you find it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have a good cry and get your advocate hat back on and don't take this lying down. I'm sure there is a way to file a grievance about the process and the way you were just treated. Make it clear (and do it in writing) that they haven't heard the last of you and you are not accepting their new plan of action. Good luck.

Yes, do it writing. They are trying to do the least amount of interventions they can get away with. Write them back and have another meeting...you can keep pushing back.

[Anonymous]

I don't have any advice but the same thing just happened to us last week. IEP service hours were cut by 3/4 which we were blindsided by. It's a new IEP!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that sounds very shady. They agreed on something at the last meeting (and then *something* happened to make them all change their mind and go with a different plan, letmeguess: a plan that is less expensive/easier/uses less resources?). Very shady.

What did your advocate say?

OP here. You hit the nail on the head! My advocate was outraged - stunned. Hadn't seen anything like this in years. We're touching base tomorrow when we've both calmed down.

[Anonymous]

Do you record your meetings op? Do it. You'd be amazed at how it changes things. Send a notice before your next meeting mentioning you will be recording.

Did you sign the iep? Can you give us more details? You don't have to agree.

[Anonymous]

Call the County Compliance officer and tell her your story; have your advocate on the line (yes, tape it). Find out how to appeal or reassess. I'm sure there are cost issues and you must simply now push back.

[Anonymous]

I thought that when assessments were done they had to provide you with a report and that that was also subject to the five days' notice rule. At least this has been my experience in MOCo.

[Anonymous]

Send an informational letter that goes over the timeline and explains what happened from your perspective.

EG: On May 28, we held an IEP meting where x was discussed and per our understanding and the notes taken x was agreed. On June 16, the IEP reconvened and the following was changed to x. This is confusing as it had not been discussed but was unilaterally changed between IEP meetings. When asked for clarification, we were given oral results of x test. We are now requesting to receive formal documentation of those tests as they contradict tests given on x date. .......

Lay it out there step by step. I like the words confused, concerned and curious.

Good luck. When is the next meeting?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought that when assessments were done they had to provide you with a report and that that was also subject to the five days' notice rule. At least this has been my experience in MOCo.

5 day notice rule only applies to Maryland public schools. OP is in Virginia.

However, OP and the team was supposed to have relevant data available at the meeting. OP has a right to be able to review the data they says shows a new course is warranted.

I agree with the PP that the whole meeting sounds shady. Why not have the data at the meeting if it supposedly shows what they say it does? OP should get a copy of the data and review it with her advocate then come up with a plan on how to proceed forward.

[Anonymous]

OP again. At this point, we do not have another meeting scheduled. There's no point until I can review the data they used to come to the conclusion they did. Since it's summer, I know it's going to be difficult to get anything done until right before school starts. Which, is unfortunate because he's moving from elementary school to middle school. There were/are school sponsored activities he was to have participated in that are now undetermined. I'll have to make some decisions whether I have enough information or not. And, you know that I have to do so with the idea of being able to demonstrate to an impartial 3rd party that I have been reasonable. I don't want the school to say 'we offered....., you had the opportunity....you chose not.....'. Know what I mean? They suck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. At this point, we do not have another meeting scheduled. There's no point until I can review the data they used to come to the conclusion they did. Since it's summer, I know it's going to be difficult to get anything done until right before school starts. Which, is unfortunate because he's moving from elementary school to middle school. There were/are school sponsored activities he was to have participated in that are now undetermined. I'll have to make some decisions whether I have enough information or not. And, you know that I have to do so with the idea of being able to demonstrate to an impartial 3rd party that I have been reasonable. I don't want the school to say 'we offered....., you had the opportunity....you chose not.....'. Know what I mean? They suck.

Send the informational letter stating your side of the events and ask for another meeting sooner rather than later. That will require them to respond or else your letter becomes important is defining what happened. No response indicates agreement. Look at wrightslaw for letter templates.

If the IEP has not been signed, then whatever was in force in the prior IEP is what should be happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. At this point, we do not have another meeting scheduled. There's no point until I can review the data they used to come to the conclusion they did. Since it's summer, I know it's going to be difficult to get anything done until right before school starts. Which, is unfortunate because he's moving from elementary school to middle school. There were/are school sponsored activities he was to have participated in that are now undetermined. I'll have to make some decisions whether I have enough information or not. And, you know that I have to do so with the idea of being able to demonstrate to an impartial 3rd party that I have been reasonable. I don't want the school to say 'we offered....., you had the opportunity....you chose not.....'. Know what I mean? They suck.

Send the informational letter stating your side of the events and ask for another meeting sooner rather than later. That will require them to respond or else your letter becomes important is defining what happened. No response indicates agreement. Look at wrightslaw for letter templates.

If the IEP has not been signed, then whatever was in force in the prior IEP is what should be happening.

And blind cc the head of special ed for FCPS. That is what got quick responses for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. At this point, we do not have another meeting scheduled. There's no point until I can review the data they used to come to the conclusion they did. Since it's summer, I know it's going to be difficult to get anything done until right before school starts. Which, is unfortunate because he's moving from elementary school to middle school. There were/are school sponsored activities he was to have participated in that are now undetermined. I'll have to make some decisions whether I have enough information or not. And, you know that I have to do so with the idea of being able to demonstrate to an impartial 3rd party that I have been reasonable. I don't want the school to say 'we offered....., you had the opportunity....you chose not.....'. Know what I mean? They suck.

I wouldn't accept this. There is no reason for the IEP team not to reconvene once you have reviewed the data, even if school is out of session. This issue was resolved at the first meeting, they reopened the issue with their "new data" and new proposition: there is no need to wait until September to revisit the issue.

I'm wondering-was your meeting with the elementary team and now in Sept you will be meeting with a different group of people from the middle school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. At this point, we do not have another meeting scheduled. There's no point until I can review the data they used to come to the conclusion they did. Since it's summer, I know it's going to be difficult to get anything done until right before school starts. Which, is unfortunate because he's moving from elementary school to middle school. There were/are school sponsored activities he was to have participated in that are now undetermined. I'll have to make some decisions whether I have enough information or not. And, you know that I have to do so with the idea of being able to demonstrate to an impartial 3rd party that I have been reasonable. I don't want the school to say 'we offered....., you had the opportunity....you chose not.....'. Know what I mean? They suck.

I wouldn't accept this. There is no reason for the IEP team not to reconvene once you have reviewed the data, even if school is out of session. This issue was resolved at the first meeting, they reopened the issue with their "new data" and new proposition: there is no need to wait until September to revisit the issue.

I'm wondering-was your meeting with the elementary team and now in Sept you will be meeting with a different group of people from the middle school?

OP here. Yes, our meeting was with the elementary team plus a representative from the middle school. When we've experience this issue in the past (school ends and we don't have a signed IEP), we met with the next grade's IEP team even though teacher assignments had not yet been made (so they told us). I doubt that meeting with the middle school team would yield different results. The PSL would still be there and the middle school team would have no so-called 'data' to make a determination. I don't know.

[Anonymous]

We had a rough start to 7th grade even though our ES set DC up for all the accommodations he needed in MS. Within two weeks, we were told to come to a meeting to "meet" the teachers and the Principal would be present too. They attempted to remove some of his accommodations, which we refused. At his first IEP meeting in MS (in the winter), there was another more pressing issue that ended up having a person in charge of that issue from GateHouse and she read them the riot act and told us verbally that the school needed some education on students like our DC. Which they did. Things improved. The head of special ed was great after that, the Principal was not. HS has been much better.