I am a parent of a 10 year old who has brain damage resulting from encephaltis. After 2 years I have finally gotten her eligible. I realize that different people at the school are responsible for different parts of the process, a fact that has resulted in many people who do know know my daughter making very important decisions. I have come across several people who have not read my daughter’s file. These are important people like the special Ed teacher who was at Elgibility, the supervisor for the counties Special Services office at the meeting and mostr recently the Special Ed teacher who wrote the IEP. Not everything that needs to be know is written on the eligibility meeting notes.
Is this a common practice. It sounds like reading the file ought to be part of the job.
Thanks
Dianne
Re: reading a child's file
Become familiar with IDEA and Section 504. By law any person having contact with your child MUST be aware of her disability and accomodations/modifications that are addressed in her IEP. With just the little bit of info that you included it sounds to me that you have grounds for a possible lawsuit. Contact an attorney familiar with education law. Good luck!Remember that you know your child best and she needs a strong advocate to insure that she is getting the best education possible and that the school provides it FREE including any evaluations and technology to make sure it happens. Unfortunately some school districts try to get by with minor accomodations. Any educator working with your child MUST adhere to the IEP or they can and probably should be sued.
Re: reading a child's file
I am the chair for our eligiblity committee at my school. For the most part it is I who reads the file and take notes on what I find. But the others will thumb through a file to look for the main pieces of info: test scores, report grades, medical info, behavior reports. The file is present for all to see and we review my notes, what the teachers say and then refer to the file as need be. By the time a child has come to the eligiblity stage of the game, that file has been review fairly extensively during child study and then screening.
But there are times that we may miss a paper or piece of information that may other wise seem significant to the parent or another on the committee. That is why there are those other people on the committee. You as the parent have the right and the responsiblity to make sure that the critical piece of information that may have been missed is pointed out. There is definitely a right by you to add a parent info piece in writing, pointing out whatever important fact or detail that is necessary and have that piece included in the eligibility packet. We rely on EVERY member of the team.
Re: reading a child's file
Dear Dianne - When I ran into this dilemma - teachers who did not read the file, I made of a point of getting myself into the classroom and seeing each teacher at the beginning of the year. Using the IEP from your previous meeting I jot down things that are important for my child to function within the classroom setting. You as the mom are most aware of the things that will help your child be successful. You are the best advocate. Do not assume that just because an IEP is present that anyone takes the time to view it except for possibly the resource teacher. You must make these teachers aware that your child is allowed by law, specific modifications and help to succeed in school. I ran into road blocks with teachers who just thought my child was lazy and did not have dyslexia. But once you have met with the teacher, tell him/her that you need their help, and then if you don’t get it, you have the right to visit with the special ed. teacher, then the principal, then the superintendent. Make a stink - tactfully, it is the greasy wheel that gets oiled, and I am one of the greasiest people in the Illinois school system to date. My child does well now in HS, and I helped him get there. If teachers do not accommodate your child, there should be a state advocate of special ed. who will step in for you. Go to it. Best wishes for success - Melanie
Re: reading a child's file
I’ve seen it happen several times that after the IEP is written and put into the file, the regular classroom teachers never get a list of the goals and their responsibilities. As parents go in and be sure that what is written on the IEP is actually taking place within the regular classrooms.
It’s a very common practice. In my years of teaching, I have rarely found anybody who reads the files. Files exist, I think, more to protect schools than children.
In fairness to teachers, files become so filled with papers that they are impossible to read. One would need to be a speed reader to get through most files and most teachers don’t have a lot of extra time.
The reality is most teachers are what they are and most schools the same, regardless of what a file says. Most teachers teach the way they teach and wouldn’t or can’t change their teaching style based on any one child’s needs.
I go into a file if I have a sense of a child and want to see if any former teachers had that sense. If a child seems unusually hyper to me, I like to know if other teachers saw that too. If a child seems unusually withdrawn, is that new or is there a history of that? If the child is having trouble being successful in school, am I the first teacher to see that or have the parents been told before?
Those are the kinds of questions I go into the file for. But most of my colleagues don’t even do that.
So, yes, in my experience, it is a common practice to not read the files. You’re finding out that the system has cracks to fall through and the first step to make sure your daughter doesn’t fall through them is to be an aware parent.
Good luck.