How many times have you gone to an IEP meeting and been informed that the general education teacher wouldn’t be there and asked to sign a piece of paper? That teacher doesn’t need to be there since your child isn’t in any general education classes, right? Not quite. Maybe it wasn’t the general education teacher. Maybe it was the speech therapist or the occupational therapist. Either way, you found out at the meeting and felt like you had no choice other than signing the paper so you could move on with the meeting. The school is busy. The teachers have so much on their plates already. You don’t want to be THAT parent, right?
No matter what is going on at the school, it doesn’t trump education. Education is kind of what they do. Your child’s meeting is important. This time has been carved out to discuss their education. Be THAT parent. Be the parent that advocates for their child and says, I know my rights. Be the parent that says IDEA says:
“A member of the IEP team may be excused from attending an IEP meeting if the member’s area of curriculum or service will not be discussed or modified and if the parent and school agree. An IEP team member may
also be excused from an IEP meeting that involves their area of curriculum or service if they submit input in
writing and if the parent and school consent. The parent’s consent must be in writing.” You can reference the original law here.
