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Once the IEP team proposes an IEP, parents have the right to accept or reject the program, in whole or in part. Parents must indicate their response on the IEP, sign the document, and return it within 30 days of receipt. If the document is not returned within 30 days, the school may assume that the IEP has been rejected. Even if you strongly disagree with the proposed IEP or placement, it is always better to continue to communicate with the school and express your concerns in writing.
Attorney Wong wrote this guide for ADDitude magazine, but it applies to parents of students with a wide range of disabilities.
Parents and advocates are often too quick to view teachers as the opposition instead of the child's greatest potential ally. Teachers in Dedham demonstrated their commitment to educating students when they filed a complaint with the Department of Education against their Superintendent for her failure to implement thirteen children's IEPs.
2017 was an eventful year in the world of special education. At the national level, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Endrew F., its first special education case in over thirty years. The unanimous Court held that FAPE requires a school to offer an IEP that is “reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child's circumstances." The Court further emphasized that “every child should have a chance to meet challenging objectives.”
For the first time in over thirty years, the nation's highest court has agreed to hear arguments about the level of educational benefit an IEP must provide in order to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ("IDEA") and provide a Free and Appropriate Public Education ("FAPE").
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