This committee is here to help parents with
their children's IEP's.
If you need a
parent advocate to help you with your IEP, please email Colette
Richards at
colette415@gmail.com .
Updates to the
IEP form have removed a signature line for parents on all IEP's
except the Initial Evaluation. Please read your procedural
safeguards so you know what your rights are. If you are unsure
about anything during the IEP, you can request to adjourn the IEP
and reconvene at a time in the near future after you have had a
chance to get more information or research. Keep in mind the
IEP should be the final meeting with your child's teachers and
therapists and that all things brought up in the IEP should be
of no surprise to ANY member of the IEP Team. Please call the
therapists and teachers to get information ahead of the IEP meeting.
This will help the process run much more smoothly.
Other
assistance can be given from the Michigan Alliance for Families.
Here is some information that can help you become better advocates
for your children:
The Michigan Alliance for Families provides information and
referrals for disability and education issues involving children and
young adults ages 0 to 26. Services for families include one-on-one
support, learning opportunities, online and printed resource
information, and referrals to community resources. By calling the
toll-free number, you will be connected to the Regional Parent
Mentor in your area or to a Parent Consultant at the Michigan
Alliance for Families information and referral office. We can
assist you in knowing your rights, effectively communicate your
child’s needs, and advise you how to help your child develop and
learn.
Call us at 1-800-552-4821
Visit our website
www.michiganallianceforfamilies.org
Clare Brick,
Dearborn/Dearborn Heights Regional Parent Mentor
313-969-5744 or
email arcdearbornpm@aol.com
An update from
the Arc Downriver on ESY services:
A great article on
Extended School Year (ESY) services by Michigan Special Ed
Attorney Laura Athens....
Websites related to
Extended School Year (ESY)
About ESY, Michigan's
Transition Services Project says...
About ESY, the U.S.
Department of Education says....
If the IEP team determines that a child with a
disability needs extended school year services to receive a free
appropriate public education , the public agency must ensure
that the child receives those services. A public agency may
not-(i) Limit extended school year services to particular
categories of disability; or (ii) Unilaterally limit the type,
amount, or duration of those services. 34 CFR §300.309(a).
Here is what the IDEA Regulations say about Extended
School Year (ESY):
Sec. 300.309 Extended school year services.
(a) General.
(1) Each public agency shall ensure that extended school year
services are available as necessary to provide FAPE (Free
Appropriate Public Education), consistent with paragraph (a)(2)
of this section.
(2) Extended school year services must be provided only if a
child's IEP team determines, on an individual basis, in
accordance with Secs. 300.340-300.350, that the services are
necessary for the provision of FAPE to the child.
(3) In implementing the requirements of this section, a public
agency may not-- (i) Limit extended school year services to
particular categories of disability; or (ii) Unilaterally limit
the type, amount, or duration of those services.
(b) Definition. As used in this section, the term extended
school year services means special education and related
services that-
(1) Are provided to a child with a disability--
(i) Beyond the normal school year of the public agency;
(ii) In accordance with the child's IEP; and
(iii) At no cost to the parents of the child; and
(2) Meet the standards of the SEA. (Authority: 20 U.S.C.
1412(a)(1))
http://www.arcdownriver.org/NewGenerations
Please help support are cause
http://www.iGive.com/ARCDownriverNewGeneration
http://www.futurehorizons-autism.com/index_affiliate.asp?aid=187
NEW
INFORMATION ON ESY SERVICES can be found on
www.resa.net under special
education. There is now a standard that needs to be looked
at to see if the child qualifies for ESY services.