What is an IEP Plan?
An IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan for children who have disabilities. This is a plan that is a contract between the family and the school district that outlines what the child is expected to learn while at the current school. Any child who has a disability is eligible for an IEP. Types of disabilities include autism, dyslexia, as well as blindness and deafness.
The school district will provide these accommodations with an IEP. It also outlines the different accommodations and support systems that the school will provide. Accommodations can include:
- Having non timed or non-standardized tests
- Preferential seating, or
- Having a note-taker to assist the special needs child during class
These are supposed to be comprehensive reports tailored to the special needs of your child. They are first required to assess and evaluation the child. Later, in order to get an IEP plan for your child, you must first meet with a school and negotiate what services they will provide, this is the IEP meeting.
IEP Meeting
The IEP meeting is a meeting held between members of the school district and the family. Representing the district will be a team consisting of the principal, teachers, therapists, and a representative of the school district. The parents are allowed to attend and are invited to bring support members such as a lawyer, pastor, or their own therapist. Sometimes parents will feel outnumbered so it is recommend to bring an advocate or lawyer with you at the meeting.
Creating the Plan
Once the child is evaluated all of the evidence will be put together into a recommendation at the IEP meeting. This is where the district will present their plan for providing services for your special needs child.
Often parents wonder what type of services the school district will provide. This depends on the type of school district that you are dealing with. Some districts prefer to place the special needs child either in a separate class while others like to include the child in a regular class but with the help of an aide. What your child gets really depends on the type of diagnosis. For more information contact an attorney.
How Can I Help?
If you have any more questions about special needs trusts and IEP plans, contact me for a consultation at joe@lblawoffices.com or 626-432-1699 and ask to speak with me. Check out my website at www.lblawoffices.com.
Joseph Lee is a partner at Lee & Baghoomian, a boutique law firm with offices in Pasadena and Westlake Village handling estate planning, corporate formation, and special needs advocacy.
Disclaimer: This blog post is not meant to be legal advice. No attorney-client relationship will be formed by this blog post.
