This first published in May 2010. It was Diana Glick’s 2nd article for us and it’s a terrific reminder right now – before regular session school starts – to start educating ourselves about the basics. If you get a chance read all of Diana’s articles from the start. Especially helpful is the one about what [...]

  The Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (GSNS) program, originally proposed as Senate Bill 10, was enacted in 2007 to provide additional school choice for students with IEPs in the state of Georgia. The eligibility requirements are simple, but appear to be strictly enforced.  I recommend that you consult http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/sb10.aspx to…[Read more]

The most important thing to remember about assessments is that they not only determine eligibility — they also drive placement and services. A good and appropriate initial assessment can be used by the IEP team to determine whether a child is eligible for special education. My prior articles have described the requirements for eligibility, in short: [...]

This is a rather cynical title. But, in case you ever need to seek the advice of an attorney or bring litigation against the school district over your child’s special education program, there are certain documents that you will want to be able to locate and present to an attorney. On a less cynical note, it’s [...]

Whew! You made it through the IEP meeting and are still standing. Now that the meeting is over, you are being asked to sign the IEP so the District may implement the proposed services, accommodations and goals. Should you sign or not? And, why does it matter? Your Rights The District must obtain your consent before providing [...]

IEP Basics When people reference your child’s IEP, they may be speaking about the meeting (“Are you going to the IEP today?”), the document (“Here is your copy of the IEP.”) or the process as a whole (“Your child may need an IEP.”). There is also an IEP team that is the decision-making body for your [...]

In my first “ Getting Started ” column, I described the process for getting your child assessed for special education. Once the assessment is completed, the District will convene an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting to discuss their findings and allow the IEP team to determine eligibility and services, if necessary. The initial IEP…[Read more]

One of the first things I explain to clients during an initial intake appointment is the basic federal standard for educating students with disabilities. This is frequently referred to as the “alphabet soup” of special education: the IDEA mandates that schools provide FAPE in the LRE according to the child’s IEP. Keeping in mind that [...]