MAILBAG
WELCOME INFORMED PARENTS TO IEP MEETINGS
Parents of children who have special needs have to learn
quickly to advocate for their children. I am a mother of four children, all with Individualized Educational Plans, and a student transporter, and I learned from my first IEP meeting. In that meeting, the school’s team of players lined up on the
other side of the table. No introductions were made. Tey pro- ceeded to tell me about my son’s failings in school, listing all the ways he didn’t measure up. Tey spoke to one another in “Edu- speak,” rarely even looking at the student in question as they tore him down. I had no answers for them; I didn’t know where to start. I had not yet learned the words “Asperger’s Syndrome,” much less how to help my son succeed. Fast-forward four years. Introductions were made all around,
and if someone came in late, we learned their name before con- tinuing. I came to the table with a list of accommodations that my son needed in order to succeed in school. If someone used a word I didn’t know, I asked for clarification. I left with an IEP our family could be happy with, and a child who had been built up by compliments from his teachers. What changed? I did. Unless parents can afford a lawyer, no one else is going to advocate for their children for them. Too often, meeting time finds the school district’s team, in-
cluding transportation, lined up on one side of the bargaining table, with parents on the other side and vulnerable children in the middle. If a parent comes to the meeting with a list of expec- tations, he may be labeled as interfering or obnoxious. Parents attending their first IEP meeting can easily find themselves in- timidated or confused, agreeing to a plan they’ve hardly had a chance to read or may not understand.
The mother of this student with autism, whose doctor prescribed him a service animal, had to first inform the school district about ADA requirements for service animals before she worked with district officials on a specific policy. Read more in our February edition at
www.stnonline.com/go/910.
Whether teacher, transportation professional, doctor or thera-
pist, everyone on the team benefits from parent input. Who know the children best? Te parents have the clues to behavior issues. Tey are the keepers of the answers to your questions. Transportation professionals have educated themselves about
FERPA, FAPE and IDEA. It’s only fair to accept parents who have done the same, and work together to form an IEP that is best for the child in question.
— Lisa Hunt, Location Safety Manager First Student
SPOT-ON Tank you for a well done, interesting article in the August is-
Disqus: “Director of Transportation for Las Vegas School District Named 2013 STN EXPO Co-Chair,” Top Story, Aug. 6 Great news! Frank and Murrell will provide important
leadership for this high-quality conference. — John Fahey, Tyler Technologies
Disqus: “DOT, HHS Partner on Reducing Child Heatstroke Deaths in Vehicles,” Latest News, Aug. 17 Get the school bus specifications right! If they operate in
areas where excessive heat is common, make sure air condi- tioning is fitted to the buses, and working, BEFORE there is a risk of a child being overcome by the effects of being in an overheated “tin box!”
— John
sue (“How Video Helps NY School Districts Secure School Bus Funding,” p. 24). You captured everything we try to emphasize. I appreciate your credits to everyone who helped me make my video. I will continue to enjoy and look forward to my STN issue! — Rochelle O’Mara, Transportation Supervisor Croton-Harmon (N.Y.) School District
TEAM EFFORT On behalf of the NASDPTS Board and the Western State Direc-
tors, I want to express our appreciation for inviting us to the STN EXPO. I also appreciated the opportunity to do a presentation. Tank you for coming to me several years ago and suggesting that we hold our Nevada School Bus Road-eo in conjunction with the show. Te change has benefitted us in so many ways, and each year we get better and better! Tank you for all the years of support. — Diana Hollander, Nevada State Director
10 School Transportation News Magazine October 2012
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