In This Issue

Back to School Tips

Dear Friends and Family Caregivers,

This month’s Special EDition offers tips for starting off the school year on a positive note to ensure your child’s new teachers become part of the team from day one.

Back to School

Many children and families approach the beginning of the new school year with trepidation — will the new teacher be good, nice, welcoming? Will my child learn? But for students with disabilities, the stakes often seem higher — has the teacher been informed about my child’s needs? Will s/he understand the accommodations my child needs? Cooperate with specialists? Include my child? “Wait and see” works for many students, but for children who need extra supports and accommodations, a better option is to take a proactive approach to ensure that your child’s new teachers have all the information and training they need to work successfully with your child.

Approaching the New School Year Proactively
These ideas will not fit every family’s situation — use what works for you.

• Refresh Your Familiarity with Your Child’s IEP/504 Plan
  If your child’s IEP/504 Plan needs to be updated or revised, prepare a letter addressing the issue and send or fax it to your School District Special Education Director and Special Education Program Specialist, or to the district’s 504 Coordinator and Principal respectively. Timelines for the school district to act on your request (for example, to hold an IEP meeting or to conduct an assessment) begin to run on the first day of school or the day the district receives your letter, whichever is later. However, the School District may act earlier, and there is no harm in asking it to do so.

• Gather Any and All School Records and Get Organized
  This is also a good time to make sure you have all school records: cumulative records, grades, progress reports, tardies/absences, special education records, health records, discipline records, and any others that may be kept by the district. If you don’t have a good set of records, write a letter to request “any and all” records, so that your files are up to date. The school district must provide records to you in five days.

• Contact Your Child’s Case Manager Around the First Day of School
  Confirm s/he has contacted all your child’s new teachers about your child’s disability and supports and/or accommodations your child needs to benefit from the teacher’s instruction.

• Provide Your Child’s Teacher(s) with a “Quick Tips” Sheet
  Make a one-page summary about your child’s strengths and challenges and the successful strategies that you, past teachers, or others have found to work for your child. You can include information about your child’s disability as well as internet links to resources where teachers can find helpful information. Attach your summary to a note, provide your contact information, and ask that the teacher contact you anytime s/he has questions or concerns so that you can help.

• Meet Your Child’s Key Teachers at the Beginning of the School Year
  You can try to get an appointment during the first week or two of school. Or, introduce yourself on the first day of school and offer to meet with the teacher to discuss your child’s learning style and educational needs. If you meet more formally you can provide key information about your child, and answer any questions or concerns the teacher may tell you about. Find out the how the teacher likes to communicate with families in case you need to contact him/her about your child.

  Even if you or your child had problems with the school or with the district in the past year, you should approach the first meeting as a new start. Begin on a positive note. Give the new teacher a chance to work with your child and establish a relationship separate from past conflicts. Show the teacher that you want to work together to support the work that he/she does with your child. You may want to offer to help in the classroom or take on a project to support the class that you can do at home. If you have concerns about remaining on top of your child’s progress, you can arrange a way to share information regularly with your child’s teacher(s) such as a weekly e-mail plan or a notebook that goes back and forth between home and school. It is also helpful for teachers to hear about success that parents see.

• Help Your Child Make and Maintain Friendships with Classmates, New and Old
  Assist your child to call friends and make play dates, or make arrangements directly with parents. Better still, invite the parents to spend time with your family, too. Friendships help children practice and learn social skills and help everyone understand that all children are valued at our schools, in our neighborhoods, and in our communities.

Additional Resources

Sample letter to request an IEP meeting for a child who has an IEP (DREDF)

Sample letter to request an assessment for a child who already has an IEP (DREDF)

A Parent’s Guide: Communicating With Your Child’s School Through Letter Writing (NICHCY)

17 Tips For Getting Quality Special Education Services for Your Child

Special Ed Advocacy: Nine Rules of Thumb

The Paper Chase: Managing Your Child’s Documents Under the IDEA

UPCOMING DREDF WORKSHOPS
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. SPACE IS LIMITED.

Understanding the Special Education Process:
An overview of the special education process, Section 504, and IDEA laws.
Date: Second Monday of the month, not offered in July or August
Next Offered: September 13, 2010
Time: 6:30 - 9:00 pm (Pizza included!)
Where: DREDF, 2212 Sixth St, Berkeley, CA
Registration Required: Contact Katie at (510)644-2555 or kkeil@dredf.org

Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) Special Education Families and Community Monthly CAC Meeting
Meet with Superintendent Tony Smith and new OUSD Programs for Exceptional Children (PEC) Director Sharon Casanares to discuss special education priorities for the 2010-11 school year.
Date: Monday, September 13, 2010
Time: 7:00 — 9:00 pm
Where: MetWest High School, 314 E. 10^th St., Oakland
Questions: CACOakland@gmail.com or 510-879-2708

IMPORTANT: Tell the U.S. Department of Education Your Experience with Special Education Services in California!
On September 27, 2010, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) will be visiting the California Department of Education (CDE), Special Programs Division, to look at California's compliance with special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). DOE has asked us to survey parents about their experiences and knowledge with the special education system in California. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents to provide input and a great opportunity to contribute to improving the special education system. The survey takes about 10 minutes.

• If you have more than one child, you can do a survey for each child.
• Spouses and family members can also complete the survey.
• Skip questions you are not sure about.
• The information is ANONYMOUS. Only a summary of all of the answers will be given to the US Department of Education, not individual responses.

IDEA Part B (ages 3 - 22) Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YPF2BG6

IDEA Part C (ages 0 - 3) Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MZG9P2M

Questions? 1-877-227-3741.

The survey will be available through September 3, but don't delay, take it today!

© 2010

Advocacy Tip of the Month:
If you plan to contact DREDF for assistance, do so now to be prepared to act as soon as possible in the new school year.

Acronyms:
DOE — U.S. Department of Education
CDE — California Department of Education
FAST — Family Advocacy Support and Training
IDEA — Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IEP — Individualized Education Program
PTI — Parent Training & Information Center

Related Links:
DREDF Special Education Training Materials

Wrightslaw

Special Education Publications (Disability Rights California)

Office of Special Education Programs, Publications and Products (Office of Special Education and Rehabilatative Services)

Policy Guidance — Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (U.S. Department of Education)

Educate Children (3 to 22) (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities)

Publications by the PACER Center

Introducing Your Child to the School Community (National Family Advocacy and Support Training Project, PACER Center)

Combined Federal Campaign #11944

Support DREDF when you shop.

Changing the Present

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CONTACT DREDF:
info@dredf.org
www.dredf.org
2212 Sixth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
510-644-2555