SPrEaD the word
Volume 1 Issue 3 (11.12.2019)
MPS Special Education Process and Procedure Manual
Guidance on When to Develop a New IEP or an Amendment (p. 16)
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*As a rule, if a Team finds that changes/additions are being made to multiple pages of an IEP, that should constitute a new IEP, written from 1 year from the Team meeting when the changes are being made. Consider if the end date should remain the same if the majority of IEP areas were not changed as a result of the meeting.
Reconvene Meeting
A full Team meeting may be not required if the IEP is going to be amended. Parents need to have the opportunity to participate in decision making. This can be accomplished by phone conference if needed. Liaison and Team Chair document how contact was made with the parent/guardian and the nature of the conversation regarding the Amendment.
The Amendment (form A1, A2) needs to be sent to the parents with an N1 and parental consent is required prior to the implementation of the Amendment. The Amendment and N1 are to be written in collaboration between the Team Chair and liaison/related service provider.
A Team may choose to reconvene to settle disputes, clarify questions, add additional information, and make adjustments to the existing IEP.
If there are major changes and the original IEP has not yet been implemented due to lack of parent consent, the IEP should reflect the new date unless the reconvene is less than 30 days from the originally proposed IEP.
CLARIFICATION
A phone call and an N1 are not to be used to make permanent changes to a service delivery grid. An N1 is not legally binding. It is a summary of the District's proposal. An N1 may be used to trail a change in service. For example, Johnny currently receives his math services in a pull out setting 5x40 minutes per week. Classroom performance and data indicate that Johnny may benefit from a lesser restrictive environment for math. Johnny's liaison calls his parent and shares this great news and proposes that for the next 4-6 weeks Johnny receives his math support in the classroom setting with the support of the Special Education teacher or IA. Johnny's mother is happy to hear he has made progress and is open to this idea. The Liaison writes an N1 documenting the data that was shared with the mother, the start date of this trial period, who and how he will be supported, and the end date of the trial period, as well as a tentative, reconvene for the Team to review this data. The N1 is immediately mailed home. At any point in time, the parent may revoke consent to this trial period. At the close of the trial period, the Team is to reconvene to review the data and reconsider the service delivery grid. Again, an N1 is not legally binding and is not signed by a representative of the District or the parent.
Parent and Family Engagement
In the first few days of school, I presented updates pertaining to Educational Stability. During this presentation, it was stressed how important relationships are. This is not only true for our relationships with students, but also with their families. These relationships are key to success in school.
Contact the SPED Office
Email: kryan@millburyschools.org
Website: https://www.millburyschools.org/Page/63
Location: 12 Martin Street, Millbury, MA, USA
Phone: 508-865-0875
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MPS.SpED/
Twitter: @MPS_SpecialEd