I've just come off a really difficult week. I am involved in IEP meetings, which is where children who may require special education services are discussed by parents, teachers, and administrators. People like a school psychologist, speech therapist, occupational therapist, adapted physical education teacher, vision specialist, school nurse, etc., evaluate a child, write a report, and then present it to the child's parents and the school's administrators at the
I(ndividualized)
E(ducation)
P(lanning) meeting. There, decisions about the best placement for educating a child (e.g., special ed classroom, inclusion, general ed.), as well as related services (e.g., speech therapy), are discussed and agreed upon.
These meetings are often characterized by mutual suspicion and hostility. What I'm wondering is, Does this have to be the case?
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For those who are involved in Special Education eligibility decisions (e.g., parents, educators, administrators), as well as those providing special education services (e.g., occupational therapists, RSP teachers), the IEP meetings and attendant discussions and disputes are a regular topic of conversation. I wonder how much the general public -- those whose lives aren't directly affected by special education -- knows about how much money is spent on special ed services, and what the relationships between the parents and the school districts are like.
I also wonder how much the general public cares. Honestly, before I became involved in the system it didn't really cross my mind. Now, though, as a person in the process as well as a taxpayer, I have begun to believe it's a topic that needs to be discussed and debated in the wider world. There's a lot of money at stake, and as taxpayers we are entitled to know how it's being spent. As community members, we are entitled to know how our most vulnerable members (e.g., children with special needs) are being helped.
What do you think? Have you felt "ripped off" by a school district that you think under-treated your child? Are you a special ed provider who thinks the parents are ripping off the district? If we get a discussion going here, maybe we can make it a weekly feature. It would sure be nice to break down some of the ill will and not have more weeks like the one that just ended for me.