Going to War: An IEP Meeting in Texas

A process wherein the recommendations of very well regarded doctors and therapists who have worked with Caroline for years are disregarded and I am asked to "trust" Northside Independent School District because they are the self proclaimed best district in the State of Texas is a terribly broken system.
Let me give a flavor of some of  the brilliance that was shared during the IEP meeting (in Texas it is called an ARD ):

• You are living in a big city now, San Antonio. Yes, that's right you might not have heard of Chicago.


• There is some controversy over whether oral exercises and feeding will encourage verbal skills-the research is out of Boston. Any accommodation, I request must be an established, researched supported practice linked to an educational goal. Thus, do not attempt to substantiate why a support will not be provided because "emerging science is creating controversy in the field." 


• Caroline has not demonstrated that she needs that level of support, yet, so we cannot provide it. Heaven forbid, you actually do what is in the best interest of my child. And yes, she has demonstrated she needs that level of support you just haven't seen it with your own two eyes.  
  


• Caroline will learn a lot from being with peers. Did you miss the part of the evaluation where it was explained and even demonstrated that Caroline does not acknowledge her peers. A screaming child came into the room and Caroline did not even look in his direction.


• The PPCD teachers and aides are very good at integrating therapeutic techniques into the classroom environment. That is all well and good but I believe OT, PT,and Speech therapists all have advanced degrees because they work as professionals in specialized fields requiring advanced training. When the techniques they suggest are applied through another untrained individual--it is in effect creating a funnel--and reducing the effectiveness of the services received.  


• You need to give us the gift of time. The gift of time?! Lady, have you read the literature 25-40 hours of therapy a week. You want me to give you time? That is a very valuable gift.

Not enough time was allotted for the meeting. The administrator who was present, I believe was called the day before because I was labeled as "difficult" parent.  There were many tense moments during the meeting. The meeting was held on Friday afternoon.  On Sunday night, I sent an email explaining that we planned to appeal the IEP because we did not think it provided Caroline with the level of service that would ensure her safety or ability to fully engage in her education. I was invited in for another meeting later that day to discuss my concerns.

During the meeting, the district representative apologized for the poor timing of the meeting.  She offered to reconvene the meeting before school started and she suggested that some changes could likely be made to Caroline's services. But the overall theme of the meeting is that Caroline was not going to get the level of service that her therapists from Chicago or her developmental pediatrician felt was appropriate.

Northside is a HUGE school district with amazing resources. I know they get extra money to educate Caroline because of her level of disability. Call me crazy for thinking that money should be used to educate my child.  Conversations with the district will continue because they have a responsibility to provide Caroline with an appropriate education. We, of course, will supplement with additional therapies but we will demand that public school provide Caroline with all they are supposed to-to free up our resources to for supplemental therapy programs. In other words, Caroline's time is valuable, very valuable, I don't want her wasting time in a classroom where she is not capable of being fully engaged.

Stay tuned for more tales as Kacie takes on special education in Texas. I am thinking about writing the "Art of an IEP Meeting" a Sun Tzu inspired volume with tips of how to navigate this awful process.

Please feel free to share your ARD or IEP experiences, especially with Northside.