Is anyone homeschooling with IEPs ?? I have been for 4 years .. this year I am running into major problems with my District as far as paying for services. We were limited to a strict budget amount of $10,000.00 per child/per year + $3,000.00 per child per year for ESY. Last summer I wanted to place my younger son in a Lindamood Bell clinic but was advised by my District LEA that it was with out a doubt far too expensive for the District to consider but she did recommend a school she had recently become aware of that had a reading lab that used Lindamood Bell and committed to finding out some info … she went so far as to send the school all the info on my boys (I never did find out what the name of the school was … I only knew the name of the Director and that it is located in Delaware). Because there was no response from this school, my LEA recommended that I place my youger son in the Lindamood Bell Clinic for the summer and combine the money allocated for both boys for the program that way I would only have to pay $1,500.00 and she would work on getting my older son in to see the woman running the special school in Delaware. Needless to say, I never heard from anyone and my younger son continued at Lindamood Bell (with my school district paying) and my older son has been working with a private tutor (being paid by the District). In mid-Sept. the LEA called and said that the DE school was also far too expensive and that we would have an IEP meeting to iron out our plans. Well my IEPs expired in December and no one contacted us (although I called & left many messages) … in Feb. the District decided we need to have an IEP meeting and inorder to do that we needed standardized assessment testing by a District teacher (who I never met) … I disagreed because I wanted testing done in accordance with my IEP & by teachers that my boys knew …….anyway, they filed for Due Process. I was required to submit my evidence last Mon. for a hearing this Mon. and when the District saw my evidence, they cancelled the hearing and TODAY I rec’d an IEP meeting invitation (hand delivered) in my mail box … the IEP meeting is this Monday night ! The District has refused to include the Lindamood Bell teachers in the meeting - ofcourse I could invite them but the cost is high. If a District provides an IEP, aren’t they required to pay for services outlined in the IEP ??? If they are not paying, do I have to provide assessments (beyond what is expected of homeschoolers - in my portfolio - at the end of the year ). I can’t get any help from the Ed Law center here because I homeschool my children … if I had enough time, I guess I would look into a lawyer but I did that before and it was a nightmare! I did write to the State and requested a Due Process hearing of my own, but no one has responded (their timeline isn’t up yet). I’m hoping someone out there has some experience with this stuff and can perhaps point me in the right direction.
Susan
Are you a member of HSLD?
I would think that this would be something that they could handle. However, since you are already involved in this issue legally then I don’t know if they could step in if you become a member now. It is worth a try. HSLD stands for Homeschool Legal Defense. HTH. Jan P.
Re: Are you a member of HSLD?
Last I heard, HSLD’s general policy is not to deal with IEPs and getting services - they don’t advocate working with the school system since their idea of schooling does not include the school systems. It is also important to recognize their other political agendas.
This is understandable.
I am not a member of HSLD (I would like to be). I guess I am not too thrilled to be doing anything with the government school system. I only register with our county’s school superintendent and do nothing else in that regard other than submitting yearly evaluation of my students.
I have my child tested by a professional of my choice. Of course, that means that I pay for all services. However, I see this as part of her “school” expenses. I know that many folks can’t afford this and go the route of the government, however when you do that then you are under their umbrella of services and requirements.
I’m sorry that I can’t help. Best wishes.
Jan P.
Re: Homeschooling w/IEPs ?
I don’t have a child that is homeschooled or one that has an IEP; however, I am in a special education class in college and I am an early childhood education major. I can’t offer much help, but I think I know of a website you can visit if you have access to the internet. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) has a website that has a link for grants and funding. (www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS) that is available for special education students. Also, there is a book entitled The Complete IEP Guide: How to Advocated For Your Special Education Child by attorney Lawerence M. Siegel. that might be helpful. For a summary and outline of the book, you can visit www.nolo.com. I hope that I have been of some help to you.
Obviously, I haven’t got the experience you are asking for. I have a couple of questions. How did you end up with an IEP when you are homeschooling? Has the school district actually paid for the services you were told to budget for? Wouldn’t they be required to continue to provide the same services until you signed for a change just like with sped children that go to public school? It sounds to me like you’ve been doing a great job advocating for your child. I hope I can learn from your experience.