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what is included in an
iep
? the
iep
is an all-encompassing document that should include basic information about your child, areas of strengths, areas of need, information about behavior, medical needs, assistive technology, and communication needs. any information that the child?s teacher needs to know to help the child be successful in
school
should be included in the document. all areas that were found to be weaknesses during the evaluation should be addressed on the
iep
.
iep
s go into effect on the day designated on the paperwork, most o?en the day of the
iep
meeting. a?er the
iep
is written, it has a one year expiration date. this means that the
iep
must be reconvened before the one year expiration date. however, parents can ask for an
iep
meeting at any time. what is the difference between
private
versus public
school
iep
s? one question that i am frequently asked is if a child in a
private
school
can have an
iep
. the answer is a bit complicated. only public
school
s can access the state electronic records (ser)
iep
s. individualized education programs are what drives a special needs student?s educational program in the public
school
setting. however, i have worked with many
private
school
s who are enthusiastic about meeting the needs of their special needs learners. in this case, a
private
school
iep
can be created. this
iep
will not be in the state system, but can be followed by the
private
school
.
private
school
s are not obligated to provide special education services and are not held to the same legal standards as public
school
s. what about your concerns? if a parent has concerns about the
iep
, don?t wait! as a special education professional, i always encourage parents to speak up. as a parent, you are your child?s best advocate. you know your child better than anyone and know when something doesn?t feel right. sometimes simply speaking up and asking questions can spark new or improved strategies to be used. if a parent is concerned that the
iep
is not being followed, my first advice is to document. document everything because without documentation, your argument may just be an opinion. but, with documentation and data, changes can be made. finally, the
iep
is a legally binding document, not a suggestion. if you need help navigating the o?en confusing special education system, ask for a meeting with the teacher,
school
, or outside advocate. ? j a n u a r y 2 0 1 8 | b r p a r e n t s . c o m 8 7
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