Are IEP meetings still being held virtually?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IEP meetings are usually scheduled for a teacher's planning/meeting time. Or are in schools with competent leadership.

The bare minimum for an IEP meeting is typically a school administrator, a special education teacher, and a general education teacher. If evaluating - a school psychologist (someone to understand testing data). All the other attendees are people the school chooses to come to the IEP meeting. The IEP meetings are held during school hours so staff members are paid for their time. They should have no problems meeting in person for meetings, even though some might want a virtual meeting to do personal tasks during the work day. Definitely driving is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

In a school with good leadership, IEP meetings are productive and staff reach out to parents to coordinate the scheduling of IEP meetings. This includes asking parents if they prefer in person or virtual.

Only in poorly managed schools - tone can be set by principal or Special Ed Resource Teacher - do schools not reach out to parents to coordinate IEP meetings. These schools treat parents as an afterthought and not equal members of the IEP team.

[Anonymous]

MS parent here. We had an IEP meeting in fall, and are having another meeting shortly to address some open points. Fall was virtual, which was good for health given where covid was but not for communication. Nobody's fault -- the dynamics of virtual for this kind of meeting just didn't work for relationship building. It's our first year at the school and DH and I are believers in doing what we can to build relationships in this overpopulated public school system. I asked for in-person for this next one and that's what it will be, with masks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t teachers have team meetings after school? Their duty day doesn’t end when the dismissal bell rings.

The contract states you can have meetings outside of your duty day but it cannot exceed 3 hours per month unless the staff sign some kind of waiver. It can vary from school to school but some schools will try to meet as a team either during their lunch or common planning time if they have that and then use before and after school time as an option of last resort

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t teachers have team meetings after school? Their duty day doesn’t end when the dismissal bell rings.

The contract states you can have meetings outside of your duty day but it cannot exceed 3 hours per month unless the staff sign some kind of waiver. It can vary from school to school but some schools will try to meet as a team either during their lunch or common planning time if they have that and then use before and after school time as an option of last resort

I am not understanding as to what the general educator’s schedule has to do with an in person IEP meeting or a virtual IEP meeting. Presumably both are chosen with class coverage or at a time when a teacher doesn’t have classroom responsibilities.

The only person an in person meeting or virtual meeting impacts now that schools are in person are parents. Parents should have the choice as to whether they prefer an in person meeting or virtual meeting. The staff can easily make the trip to the school conference room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MS parent here. We had an IEP meeting in fall, and are having another meeting shortly to address some open points. Fall was virtual, which was good for health given where covid was but not for communication. Nobody's fault -- the dynamics of virtual for this kind of meeting just didn't work for relationship building. It's our first year at the school and DH and I are believers in doing what we can to build relationships in this overpopulated public school system. I asked for in-person for this next one and that's what it will be, with masks.

Just because you are in person doesn’t mean that the entire team will be in person. Some MCPS staff are hesitant to comply with a parental request even though they are in an environment with close contact with hundreds of students each day.

A true in person meeting would be all members attending in person. Has not been my experience yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In a school with good leadership, IEP meetings are productive and staff reach out to parents to coordinate the scheduling of IEP meetings. This includes asking parents if they prefer in person or virtual.

Only in poorly managed schools - tone can be set by principal or Special Ed Resource Teacher - do schools not reach out to parents to coordinate IEP meetings. These schools treat parents as an afterthought and not equal members of the IEP team.

This. I was given a time and a Zoom link less than a week in advance. and the time doesn’t work. Don’t they need to reach out at least 10 days in advance?

[Anonymous]

Have one next month, virtual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have one next month, virtual.

Were you given a in-person option?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In a school with good leadership, IEP meetings are productive and staff reach out to parents to coordinate the scheduling of IEP meetings. This includes asking parents if they prefer in person or virtual.

Only in poorly managed schools - tone can be set by principal or Special Ed Resource Teacher - do schools not reach out to parents to coordinate IEP meetings. These schools treat parents as an afterthought and not equal members of the IEP team.

This. I was given a time and a Zoom link less than a week in advance. and the time doesn’t work. Don’t they need to reach out at least 10 days in advance?

Under state law, 10 days is the required notice. Reply back with a request to reschedule and list 3 or more options that work for your schedule. If you want an in person meeting request a meeting that all attendees are in person.

[Anonymous]

Feel free to name the school who doesn’t give the required notice and is insisting on virtual meetings. Until bad practices by schools are publicly exposed, staff will continue to do questionable and illegal things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Feel free to name the school who doesn’t give the required notice and is insisting on virtual meetings. Until bad practices by schools are publicly exposed, staff will continue to do questionable and illegal things.

Churchill. Lack of required notice for the IEP meeting including delivery of the data the team plans to discuss 5 days before the IEP meeting. No effort to coordinate scheduling the meetings either.