Parent

Parent Resource & Information

YOUR ROLE AS A PARENT OF A CHILD WITH A DISABILITY
Parents play a valuable role in developing their childÕs educational program. You know your child better than anyone else on earth. When school personnel and parents work together to develop and implement meaningful educational programs, everyone wins! If your child is not making progress or is not receiving appropriate services, you can request an IEP team meeting to discuss modifying your childÕs program.

REQUESTING AN IEP TEAM MEETING
Schools must convene an Individual Education Program (IEP) team meeting within ten school days of the written request of any IEP team memberÑthis means you, mom and dad. It is important that you come prepared to your childÕs IEP meetings.

DONÕT GO ALONE!
Bring your spouse, family member, friend, neighbor, or a NAPPE advocate to your childÕs IEP meetings. Be on time for the meeting. Always be respectful and courteous. (You donÕt want your childÕs teacher going back to his or her classroom upset with you.) Organize your childÕs records, investigate placement and service options, and understand your rights. For many parents, this is a life long process. Schools generally appreciate parent involvement. When you are an assertive advocate for your child, the school will respect you. They know that you are committed to making sure your childÕs school experience is successful. Though you may encounter resistance at the meeting, parents often learn later that their child has secret allies within the school system.

HOW DO I KNOW WHETHER MY CHILD IS ELIGIBLE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES?
Under IDEA, a "child with a disability" is a child between the ages of 3 and 21 with mental retardation, hearing impairments, speech or language impairments, visual impairments, emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments, or specific learning disabilities AND who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services. Tennessee also includes deaf-blindness, multiple disabilities, intellectual giftedness, and functional delay as disability categories. You can click on any disability to link to the eligibility criteria established by the Tennessee Department of Education for that disability. The Tennessee Department of Education adopted new eligibility criteria effective July 2002. The IEP team will use this criteria to determine whether your child will receive special education and related services. Under Section 504, "handicapped person" means any person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment. If you suspect your child may have a disability, make a written request for an evaluation. Click here for an example of a sample letter. After you sign the "Informed Written Parental Consent" which indicates which evaluations will be conducted, the school will have 40 school days to conduct a comprehensive evaluation, convene an IEP team meeting, and implement the IEP if your child is determined to be eligible for special education and related services. (Rule 0520-1-9-.05)

DOCUMENTING COMMUNICATION WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM
It is important to document all communication with the school system. This will allow you to express how much you appreciate your childÕs teachers, principals, related service providers, etc. It will also allow the school to respond when there is a potential problem. Teachers and principals are responsible for educating many students. They also have a lot of people within the school system that they have to answer to. Help them remember and follow through on your requests by putting them in writing. If the problems donÕt get better, you will have a long paper trail of your efforts to address them. Always keep a copy of your letters. You can make a copy before you send a letter or hand deliver it to the school, and ask them to provide you with a copy. Click here for examples of sample letters. For helpful hints on how to craft letters, go to www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/Letter_to_Stranger.

HOW DO I GET STARTED?
Request a NAPPE training. NAPPE offers community education presentations on a variety of topics including the legal rights of children with disabilities, symptoms of particular disabilities, the value of including children with disabilities in the general education classroom, effective and respectful approaches to solving behavior problems, and strategies to implement educationally useful programs. Start a NAPPE support group in your area. Children are an amazing gift, but that doesnÕt mean raising them is always easy. NAPPE support groups provide an opportunity for parents to exchange ideas and share resources. Support groups may also invite guest speakers to meetings. This is an informal way to begin to build a network of parents and professionals in your area who are dedicated to enforcing the rights of children with disabilities. Contact us to explore the possibilities in your area. Attend trainings offered by STEP (Support and Training for Exceptional Parents). Click here for the STEP calendar. If you canÕt find the training you want or a time and location convenient for you, contact us--NAPPE will sponsor a STEP training. For copies of Rights of Children with Disabilities and Parent Responsibilities, Section 504 Manual, Interagency Agreement, Administrative Complaint Form, Mediation Request, Due Process Hearing Request, go to: www.state.tn.us/education/speced/selegalservices.

Parent Links

Video Tapes & Materials

CADA

STEP web site: http://www.tnstep.org

Lingo
Albhabet Soup: Glossary of Terms and Acronyms in Special Education

ADD Attention Deficit Disorder

ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

CDC Comprehensive Development Class (a self-contained special education classroom).

CP Cerebral Palsy

DCS Department of ChildrenÕs Services

DD Developmental Disabilities or Developmental Delays

DHS Department of Human Services