May I legally disagree at an IEP meeting concerning the placement of a student? I am a career tech teacher who disagreed at an IEP meeting about the initial placement of a student into my program. I thought that I was suppose to give input at these meetings. I also thought that even though I disagreed that the student should not be placed in my program, if the majority of the group thought it was a good idea that the student could be placed in my program anyway. Am I or am I not suppose to voice my opinion at these meetings? I agree with the placement of most students, just not all of them. It is not taken very well by the Spec. Ed. teachers when I don’t agree with their plan. PLEASE give the the do’s and don’ts concerning this. Thanks.
Of course you can disagree at an IEP meeting. I would expect that at my meetings not all people would agree. Like you said, the majority rules. In your case, after several (maybe three) weeks of having the student in your class, you should be able to evaluate if the class is working or not and request another team meeting. At that time present your data as to why it is or isn’t working. If it is working, it is an opportunity for the student and parent to hear some good news. If it isn’t, then the team needs to address the issue and decide what are the student needs around the program and if more/different modifications are needed for the class, or if the student needs can be met through a different class. Good luck. That is too bad. All opinions should be respected and listened to!