No Rest For Parents

I recently had a client I was chatting with, and they were telling me how exhausted they get this time of year especially after the months of advocating for their child’s accommodations only to find out that their child’s goals are not being run. Frustration doesn’t even come close to how this one parent feels.  How many of you have been in this situation or worse?  We send our children to school with the promise of the LEAs that their IEPs and 504s will be followed by the experts that are around our children six hours a day. When situations like this occur, most families become enraged at having been lied to.  Their reaction is to pick up the phone can call their child’s team.  This is where I tell families to stop, take a breath and request the data.  Data?? Yes, this is when you will send an email requesting a mid-semester data review and sample work.  As the parent you can request this at any time throughout the year and do not have to wait until the end of the quarter.  Not only does this allow you, the parent, to see what exactly the school has been doing or rather not doing, but it also allows you to look at how your child has been doing before the semester is over and if necessary, adjust the goals accordingly. Knowing how to maneuver through this situation will help you stay calm and focused. When you remain calm, work can get accomplished.

 

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