My Daughter is in 9th grade and has had a sub for her Special Education reading class for the last 19 days. She has not done anything related to any reading program at all. When I questioned the School about this they said that the sub said that she was very shy and that when she, the sub asked her if she wanted to do her readinig Program that my Daughter said NO. So they did not do her Program . The Sub said that because my daughter is very shy that she wanted to establish a relationship with her first. My response was, it has been 19 days I don’t think that my Daughter should have a choice. She has a Multi Modal Reading and Language Communication Disorder.I said if she did not want to do her Math, Social Studies , or other classes would you just let her sit there untill she established a relationship with the Teacher? This sub is not a Special Education Teacher. I do understand the lack of Sub’s in the distric but I am also tired of all their excuses being our broblem.My daughters IEP states her Reading program, am I correct on saying that they are in violation of a Federal Document? What do I do?????????????????????????????????
Reconvene the IEP team (Socks, here's one for you!)
As the parent, and full member of the IEP team, you must call the whole team together with a letter to your building principal. Express your concerns that the IEP is not being implemented to the IEP team. Be sure that you bring a letter to that effect to the meeting and ask that it be affixed to the IEP. I believe that they have ten days to fix it. (Socks…help my aging memory!)
Re: What do you think??
First off, is this reading program mandated in the IEP? How is the goal stated? Does it state that the teacher MUST use this program? To be a violation of the IEP document,it would depend on how carefully the reading goal is written,or skewed.Could you write her goal here so we can look at it?
Re: Reconvene the IEP team (Socks, here's one for you!)
Not knowing how the district might wiggle out of a violation of the IEP,I think I would write a letter,Of course one of those:-),but I would write a letter documenting the 19 days without special ed services. I would state in the letter something in the lines of,as I it was explained to me, my daughter has missed 19 dys of special ed. due to no special education teacher availability.(This is a violation of FAPE)and is usually a violation of state laws,having no qualified teacher.)No special educational teacher is present,and according to the regular ed subsitute she has not yet implemented the reading program due to your daughter’s shyness. ask that they respond in writing if this is not how you understood them,make sure you cc it to the principal,etc.
Once we know whether the goal is written on the IEP,then a meeting needs to reconvene to make sure the goals are clear,and a NEW goal addressing your daughter’s shyness be WRITTEN! Since it impends her educational experience.
Sorry so long winded,haven’t been on line in a while:-)
Nice to see you back!
Your advocacy answers are all top-rate! It is good to have you providing accurate advice. Many others, including me, are well-meaning but either inaccurate or incomplete. Keep up straight here…
What does your daughter say? I agree that the teacher shouldn’t allow her to just sit there. I think the teacher would have an easier time building a relationship with her if she was working with her!
Is there anyone else in the school that can administer the reading program?
I would start by finding out why your daughter doesn’t want to do the program and what your daughter feels she needs to work with this teacher. I would also set up a conference with the teacher and explain that it isn’t necessary for them to be best friends for her to educate your daughter. 19 days of school, is really three weeks, I am not a big fan of sitting around and waiting!!
K.