Resources to Help You Advocate for Your Child’s Education

If circumstances or other decision-making groups have moved away from your child’s vision for their future, you may need to become “That Parent.” That Parent is the one who insists the IEP team focuses on your child, not the status quo. That Parent is an advocate.

To be an effective advocate for your child, you will need knowledge. The more you know, the better advocate you will become. Do you know your rights? Do you know your child’s rights? Feel like you need a GPS to navigate the planning process? 

In addition to this website, here are some additional resources to get the information you need:

1. Procedural Safeguards: This document, produced by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), is “intended to … help parents of children with disabilities understand their rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The information on Prior Written Notice is a game changer. It is a required part of IEP planning but is often overlooked. Don’t skip over it!
    
2. Admission, Review, and Dismissal/Individualized Education Program Meeting Agenda: Determining the special education services for your child is done through a strategic, step-by-step planning process. This process can crumble if the foundation is cracked, a critical step is skipped, or planning happens without a thoughtful discussion of the individual child's needs. 
    

   Ask for a copy of the agenda a few days before the meeting. This will give you time to review when discussions should take place. If discussions fall out of order, guide the ARD/IEP team to the agenda. Then change the conversation. 

3. Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE):  Any assessment report about your child should accurately describe your child's strengths, needs and recommendations. These are for the IEP team to consider when planning. If you disagree with the assessment, you can request an IEE. The district must honor your request or take you to a due process hearing. Don’t let this scare you! The only outcome of a due process hearing for this purpose is to determine if the district must pay for the IEE.
    
4. Supplementary Aids and Services (SAS): These are aids, services and other supports provided in special education classes and extracurricular and non-academic settings. 

   
   SASs support a child with a disability, so they are educated with nondisabled children to the fullest extent possible. Your child’s IEP team must specify the SAS to be provided to or on behalf of your child. These services will guide your child’s success! Make sure they are written into the IEP. 

Taking on an advocacy role in your child’s IEP meeting may be scary at first. Don’t let fear stop you. Your confidence will increase over time. You can take a friend to the meeting with you for moral support. They don’t have to participate other than introducing themselves, but it can be good to just have them there with you. There is strength in numbers!