Special Education Advocates Enable Students to get Help They Need
School districts do not provide the services and classes desperately needed by many students. “Education Advocates can make the difference,” said Tim Runner of Advocates 4 Kids. “Our services include representing clients in IEPs, Due Process Hearings, Mediations, compliance complaints, and assessment reviews. We also represent clients to county and state mental health departments, regional centers (in CA), U.S. Social Security Administration, state medical insurance agencies, and any other government organization used to benefit students. We have enabled parents of students in residential placements to recover the tuitions they have paid and to have future payments made directly to the residential treatment centers. We serve students and their parents nation-wide.”
There are many laws in place to serve children who qualify for special education. These laws require school districts to “search and serve” their students by identifying children who need special help (”child find”) and to provide this help at no cost to the parents. The school districts are mandated to provide a Free and Appropriate Public Education (F.A.P.E.) to each student. Unfortunately, these laws are not always adequately implemented.
“Education advocates can intercede on the student and parent’s behalf with school districts, county mental health agencies, regional centers, CCS, and State Department of Education to insure that each child receives all the benefits and Special Education services they are entitled to,” states Tim Runner, education advocate. “The Federal and State Educational Laws mandate that every child is entitled to a free and appropriate public education (F.A.P.E.) in the least restrictive environment and among a body of his or her peers. The advocate guides the parents through the maze of bureaucratic red tape while providing parents with expert help in determining the special help their child should receive to achieve all that they can in school based on their unique needs.”
Even though required to do so under the law, school districts and other responsible agencies often do not identify and evaluate the children that are in need of help. Districts also fail to present parents with a comprehensive list of available services. Ms. Jillian Bonnington explains, “We believe that every child has his or her own unique behaviors and style of learning. What a teacher or administrator may deem as lazy, unmotivated, disruptive, or socially maladjusted behavior could actually be an indication that special education is needed. Often behavioral problems and lack of motivation are due to the fact that the child’s unique needs are not being addressed. Frequently, drug use is an attempt to self medicate underlying psychological problems and not a sign of maladjustment.”
If your child already has qualified for special services, he or she may not be receiving the services really needed to make a difference. Advocates enable parents to get the assessments and services their children require. Even if you child has been denied special education services in the past, the advocate can enable your child to be reassessed, in some cases by independent experts. The advocate reviews each assessment test to make sure it has been properly scored, administered, and the results are interpreted correctly in determining what services are needed.
Here are some very important do’s and don’ts for parents:
1. Make sure all contacts and requests are in writing. If you use email, send a copy to yourself and print it out to show that the email was sent.
2. Keep all items provided to you by the school and the district.
3. Learn all you can about special education.
4. You do not have to accept what the school district offers your child.
5. Your child has many rights that you must never give away.
6. Have your child assessed by outside assessors when needed.
7. Seek expert help when needed.
You can learn much more by visiting:
www.special-education-answers.com