Special education, from the first evaluation to the IEP
If your child is struggling and the school hasn’t acted, or has acted and you disagree, these are the places I usually help.
Asking for an evaluation
A request in writing starts the clock on the school’s duty to respond. I help you write one that’s clear about what you’ve seen and what you’re asking for.
Reading the evaluation
Scores and eligibility decisions are hard to follow. I explain what the report says, what it leaves out, and whether an independent evaluation makes sense.
Goals and services in the IEP
Vague goals are hard to measure and easy to miss. We push for goals with numbers in them and services with minutes beside them.
When you and the district disagree
Most disagreements end in a meeting or mediation. When they don’t, I represent parents in state complaints and due process hearings.
Bring the binder, or the shoebox
You don’t need to organize anything before we talk.
Parents arrive with color-coded binders and with grocery bags of report cards, and both work. I go through it with you and build a short timeline: what the school knew, when, and what it did next. That timeline is usually the most useful page in the whole dispute.
Useful to bring
The most recent IEP or evaluation
Report cards and progress reports
Emails with teachers and staff
Any outside reports or diagnoses
Special education questions
My child has good grades. Can they still qualify?
Yes. Eligibility isn’t only about grades. A student who keeps up academically but struggles with attention, behavior, communication or getting through the day can still need services.
What if I don’t agree with the school’s evaluation?
You can say so in writing and ask for an independent evaluation by someone outside the district. In many cases the district has to pay for it or explain to a hearing officer why it won’t.
Can I record the IEP meeting?
The rules differ from state to state and district to district. Ask ahead in writing, and I’ll tell you what applies where your child goes to school.
Not sure the plan is the right one?
Send it over. I’ll read it before we talk, and we’ll go through it page by page.