Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the big deal if some is driving? I do that all the time for work meetings while I am shuttling my kids around.
School staff are usually juggling a million different things. Your expectations are unrealistic

So is this a MCPS rationale as to why staff want to keep IEP meetings virtual in perpetuity??? Staff want to be free to do other things - grade papers, text, have side bar conversations, and drive - while checking off a legal requirement to hold an IEP meeting for a child.

Do you have the same expectations as to when a teacher is supposed to be teaching a class? They can be driving a car and teaching at the same time?

In my line of work, doing other tasks during an office meeting would be considered rude and unprofessional. If we are meeting with a client, 100% cause for being terminated. It sends a clear message that you do not value their time and the purpose of the conversation.

A teacher driving and teaching at the same time is a dumb analogy and you know it.
I’m sorry but most people who work are doing multiple things while on a zoom meeting.
That’s just how it is. It isn’t ideal but people are often overloaded and trying to manage as best they can.
Do you advocate for more school staff? Because that is what schools probably need to be able to get everything done with fidelity

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the big deal if some is driving? I do that all the time for work meetings while I am shuttling my kids around.
School staff are usually juggling a million different things. Your expectations are unrealistic

So is this a MCPS rationale as to why staff want to keep IEP meetings virtual in perpetuity??? Staff want to be free to do other things - grade papers, text, have side bar conversations, and drive - while checking off a legal requirement to hold an IEP meeting for a child.

Do you have the same expectations as to when a teacher is supposed to be teaching a class? They can be driving a car and teaching at the same time?

In my line of work, doing other tasks during an office meeting would be considered rude and unprofessional. If we are meeting with a client, 100% cause for being terminated. It sends a clear message that you do not value their time and the purpose of the conversation.

Anonymous wrote:What is the big deal if some is driving? I do that all the time for work meetings while I am shuttling my kids around.
School staff are usually juggling a million different things. Your expectations are unrealistic

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These meetings are during school hours. Very few staff members are mandated attendees. Those employees should have ample coverage for their attendance responsibilities. Meetings typically are scheduled two weeks to four weeks in advance so there’s time for their duties to be covered or another person assigned to the meeting. It’s unacceptable not to give the student the attention that these meetings require and is definitely not a reason to mandate that they stay virtual.

Sounds like virtual allows for school staff to do other things during the meeting than be full participants in the meeting.

In a perfect world yes it is possible to get coverage for IEP meetings in reality you might have scheduled a para to cover the class and then somebody else calls out sick and then there's no sub and the para gets pulled to do that and then there's a whole cascade of people being shifted around to do extra things they weren't supposed to do. It's been an extremely difficult year to find subs

Then schedule IEP meetings after school. Staff meetings are typically after school so why not IEP meetings? Or schedule on the many half days or professional days? The lack of coverage is a school problem. Find a solution.

I can appreciate your "find a solution" approach, but I don't think you realize quite how many of these meetings occur in a given school, on a given day. Speaking only from my experience in elementary, there is one day a week devoted to these meetings, and it fills up. Sometimes staff have to be double-booked, or meetings on different days when some staff aren't available (some psychologists are assigned to a different school each day for this purpose--you can't just say, well Wednesday is full, let's do it Thursday, because on Thursday, that staff member has a full slate at another school.) Another reason virtual meetings provide equity. Those staff would need a shorter break in their already packed schedule, and could join virtually as soon as another meeting ends, versus needing to find a block of time long enough for travel.

All participants should be full engaged in the meeting when they are attending. But let's not pretend the occupational therapist needs to know about the student's math progress.

An occupational therapist is not listed in the IDEA and therefore does not have to attend the meeting, let alone the entire meeting. However, a general education teacher of the student is listed in the IDEA and therefore the general education teacher is required to stay for the IEP meeting and cannot be dismissed unless the parent and teacher agree.

It’s surprising how many people in MCPS do not know the requirements listed in the IDEA.

So the class gets stuck with a substitute while the teacher attends an hour + meeting for one child? How does that make sense? At the high school level, some teachers have 20-30 kids with IEPS. There has to be a balance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These meetings are during school hours. Very few staff members are mandated attendees. Those employees should have ample coverage for their attendance responsibilities. Meetings typically are scheduled two weeks to four weeks in advance so there’s time for their duties to be covered or another person assigned to the meeting. It’s unacceptable not to give the student the attention that these meetings require and is definitely not a reason to mandate that they stay virtual.

Sounds like virtual allows for school staff to do other things during the meeting than be full participants in the meeting.

In a perfect world yes it is possible to get coverage for IEP meetings in reality you might have scheduled a para to cover the class and then somebody else calls out sick and then there's no sub and the para gets pulled to do that and then there's a whole cascade of people being shifted around to do extra things they weren't supposed to do. It's been an extremely difficult year to find subs

Then schedule IEP meetings after school. Staff meetings are typically after school so why not IEP meetings? Or schedule on the many half days or professional days? The lack of coverage is a school problem. Find a solution.

I can appreciate your "find a solution" approach, but I don't think you realize quite how many of these meetings occur in a given school, on a given day. Speaking only from my experience in elementary, there is one day a week devoted to these meetings, and it fills up. Sometimes staff have to be double-booked, or meetings on different days when some staff aren't available (some psychologists are assigned to a different school each day for this purpose--you can't just say, well Wednesday is full, let's do it Thursday, because on Thursday, that staff member has a full slate at another school.) Another reason virtual meetings provide equity. Those staff would need a shorter break in their already packed schedule, and could join virtually as soon as another meeting ends, versus needing to find a block of time long enough for travel.

All participants should be full engaged in the meeting when they are attending. But let's not pretend the occupational therapist needs to know about the student's math progress.

An occupational therapist is not listed in the IDEA and therefore does not have to attend the meeting, let alone the entire meeting. However, a general education teacher of the student is listed in the IDEA and therefore the general education teacher is required to stay for the IEP meeting and cannot be dismissed unless the parent and teacher agree.

It’s surprising how many people in MCPS do not know the requirements listed in the IDEA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These meetings are during school hours. Very few staff members are mandated attendees. Those employees should have ample coverage for their attendance responsibilities. Meetings typically are scheduled two weeks to four weeks in advance so there’s time for their duties to be covered or another person assigned to the meeting. It’s unacceptable not to give the student the attention that these meetings require and is definitely not a reason to mandate that they stay virtual.

Sounds like virtual allows for school staff to do other things during the meeting than be full participants in the meeting.

In a perfect world yes it is possible to get coverage for IEP meetings in reality you might have scheduled a para to cover the class and then somebody else calls out sick and then there's no sub and the para gets pulled to do that and then there's a whole cascade of people being shifted around to do extra things they weren't supposed to do. It's been an extremely difficult year to find subs

Then schedule IEP meetings after school. Staff meetings are typically after school so why not IEP meetings? Or schedule on the many half days or professional days? The lack of coverage is a school problem. Find a solution.

I can appreciate your "find a solution" approach, but I don't think you realize quite how many of these meetings occur in a given school, on a given day. Speaking only from my experience in elementary, there is one day a week devoted to these meetings, and it fills up. Sometimes staff have to be double-booked, or meetings on different days when some staff aren't available (some psychologists are assigned to a different school each day for this purpose--you can't just say, well Wednesday is full, let's do it Thursday, because on Thursday, that staff member has a full slate at another school.) Another reason virtual meetings provide equity. Those staff would need a shorter break in their already packed schedule, and could join virtually as soon as another meeting ends, versus needing to find a block of time long enough for travel.

All participants should be full engaged in the meeting when they are attending. But let's not pretend the occupational therapist needs to know about the student's math progress.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These meetings are during school hours. Very few staff members are mandated attendees. Those employees should have ample coverage for their attendance responsibilities. Meetings typically are scheduled two weeks to four weeks in advance so there’s time for their duties to be covered or another person assigned to the meeting. It’s unacceptable not to give the student the attention that these meetings require and is definitely not a reason to mandate that they stay virtual.

Sounds like virtual allows for school staff to do other things during the meeting than be full participants in the meeting.

In a perfect world yes it is possible to get coverage for IEP meetings in reality you might have scheduled a para to cover the class and then somebody else calls out sick and then there's no sub and the para gets pulled to do that and then there's a whole cascade of people being shifted around to do extra things they weren't supposed to do. It's been an extremely difficult year to find subs

Then schedule IEP meetings after school. Staff meetings are typically after school so why not IEP meetings? Or schedule on the many half days or professional days? The lack of coverage is a school problem. Find a solution.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These meetings are during school hours. Very few staff members are mandated attendees. Those employees should have ample coverage for their attendance responsibilities. Meetings typically are scheduled two weeks to four weeks in advance so there’s time for their duties to be covered or another person assigned to the meeting. It’s unacceptable not to give the student the attention that these meetings require and is definitely not a reason to mandate that they stay virtual.

Sounds like virtual allows for school staff to do other things during the meeting than be full participants in the meeting.

In a perfect world yes it is possible to get coverage for IEP meetings in reality you might have scheduled a para to cover the class and then somebody else calls out sick and then there's no sub and the para gets pulled to do that and then there's a whole cascade of people being shifted around to do extra things they weren't supposed to do. It's been an extremely difficult year to find subs

Then schedule IEP meetings after school. Staff meetings are typically after school so why not IEP meetings? Or schedule on the many half days or professional days? The lack of coverage is a school problem. Find a solution.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These meetings are during school hours. Very few staff members are mandated attendees. Those employees should have ample coverage for their attendance responsibilities. Meetings typically are scheduled two weeks to four weeks in advance so there’s time for their duties to be covered or another person assigned to the meeting. It’s unacceptable not to give the student the attention that these meetings require and is definitely not a reason to mandate that they stay virtual.

Sounds like virtual allows for school staff to do other things during the meeting than be full participants in the meeting.

In a perfect world yes it is possible to get coverage for IEP meetings in reality you might have scheduled a para to cover the class and then somebody else calls out sick and then there's no sub and the para gets pulled to do that and then there's a whole cascade of people being shifted around to do extra things they weren't supposed to do. It's been an extremely difficult year to find subs

Anonymous wrote:These meetings are during school hours. Very few staff members are mandated attendees. Those employees should have ample coverage for their attendance responsibilities. Meetings typically are scheduled two weeks to four weeks in advance so there’s time for their duties to be covered or another person assigned to the meeting. It’s unacceptable not to give the student the attention that these meetings require and is definitely not a reason to mandate that they stay virtual.

Sounds like virtual allows for school staff to do other things during the meeting than be full participants in the meeting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yes, I would like the option of virtual as well but I prefer in person at least for my son’s IEP meeting. I find that in a virtual meeting, people are easily distracted and I saw that the PT/OT was doing other things as soon as her part was done. I can’t imagine that happening in person. I wholeheartedly agree that virtual is easier for parents who can’t get away or who have childcare issues. In my case, we have no problem taking time off from work to do this. I’m just surprised I was told that IEP meetings are still virtual and an in-person option was not presented. Our IEP meeting would be in early April.

He among us who has not done something else in a meeting when our part is over throw the first stone