Special Ed and the IEP

If your child is receiving special education services, his or her school program is based on an Individualized Education Program (IEP), which was jointly developed by you, your child's teachers and service providers, assessment professionals and a representative of the school administration. Your child's IEP should reflect the services and supports your child needs to progress in the curriculum, achieve proficiency on assessments and prepare him or her for college or work.

There are three things you can do to help ensure your child gets the support and attention
she or he needs:

1. Make sure you have a copy of the current IEP.
2. Make sure each of your child’s teachers and related service providers has a copy of your child’s IEP; and if a paraprofessional works with your child individually or in your child’s classroom, make sure she or he has on-going access to a copy of your child’s IEP and has received an explanation of her or his specific responsibilities (the law requires this).
3. Together, make sure your child is getting all the support specified in the IEP.

Special Education Reform

The DOE’s special education reform will be rolled out in all schools in September. We fear that there may be dramatic changes in where children with disabilities receive services as well as the type and intensity of services they receive. For strategies and suggestions for helping you obtain appropriate services for these children, please consult the Fact Sheet on Special Education Reform.

Raise the Bar

Special education programs exist to ensure that all of our city’s children, including those with disabilities and challenges, have the opportunity to reach their full potential. There are federal, state and city laws, regulations and procedures in place to ensure that special ed students get the assistance and services they need and deserve.

The UFT's Raise the Bar campaign is a pro-active effort to make sure that kids are not just getting the services they are mandated to get, but actually getting the support they need to succeed.Ity builds on the successful There is NO EXCUSE campaign. As in the NO EXCUSE campaign, we are asking all parents and UFT educators to report any violation you see. But we are doing more than that. We are asking if students are progressing to meet their grade-level standards and meeting the goals spelled out on their IEPs. If not, we need to demand that IEP teams be reconvened and new plans put in place so that children can actually succeed.

Here is a checklist for parents to help you determine if your child is receiving the proper services.

If your child is not receiving the services specified in his or her IEP or is not making progress, call our special hotline at 212-701-9499 or file a complaint online. Another resource is the ARISE Coalition, of which the UFT is a member. You can reach them at 212-822-9523 or visit them online at www.arisecoalition.org.