There comes a time in every IEP parent’s life when he has to stand up and say, “enough is enough.” And that’s the day when you decide to change your child's education experience for the better by digging in and being the best IEP advocate you can be.
I know what it’s like.
When Kevin was a baby, I spent a lot of time just thinking about it.
I purchased a lot of books on the topic. I even attended school district training sessions.
Problem was...
I really didn't know what I didn't know. Oh sure, all the IEP manuals and guides stacking up on my bookshelf and hard drive made it look like I was serious. All the charges on my Visa bill made me look pretty serious. But I never took any serious action.
Problem is, I thought I was taking action.
I dabbled.
I did things like stepping out of my comfort zone and speaking up at meetings.
And I would email my team, assuming they would follow through. Yet I never got serious enough about it to really understand my rights and the IEP process defined by IDEA.
But then something happened that rocked me to my very core. And maybe you can relate to this…
One day it seemed like everything was fine. I was just going through life with two toddlers. Then suddenly, I was knee-deep in the Kindergarten Transition process. (and Kevin had just turned 4!)
I can’t even begin to tell you how those meetings shocked me.
It really was the proverbial wake up call when the LEA said "We appreciate your input Mrs. Lightner, but we will not be making any changes to this IEP today."
Because suddenly I realized I had to get better IEP meeting results or Kevin was going to end up in a placement that I loathed... and one that was really inappropriate for him.
You can bet I got serious really quick.
I stopped messing around. I stopped dabbling.
And I started learning my parental rights and how to leverage the IEP process in my favor.
It wasn’t always easy.
I quickly found out the learning curve is steep when you’re trying to learn about IEPs.
But I did it. In just about a year, I went from completely stressing about what his placement would be to a desirable placement. And, that was kindergarten -- he's in 12th grade now and still in the same placement.
-Lisa