What help can the UFT provide if students are not receiving the support and services required by their IEPs or the school is not adhering to the special education regulations and requirements set out in the DOE’s Standard Operating Procedures Manual?

There are two avenues for resolving special education issues: your school’s Special Education Committee or the special education complaint.

Issues that can be brought to the Special Education Committee include the failure to properly staff special education classes, using integrated co-teaching teachers to provide coverage for absent teachers, violations of class size limits for special classes, failure to staff paraprofessional positions, combining special classes for clusters and physical education, and late arrival or early departure of school buses. The committee meets with the principal in the fall and spring and as needed during the rest of the school year.

A special education complaint should be filed for any issues specific to individual students, such as IEP program and service recommendations based on administrative considerations rather than student need. Other topics best handled through the special education complaint process include school budgeting for special education programs and services, violations of the rules governing ICT class size and composition, failure to process in a timely fashion parent referrals and staff member requests for special education referral, and the failure to provide behavior management training for paraprofessionals who work with students with behavior intervention plans.

Also see the DOE's Special Education Standard Operation Procedures Manual (SOPM) for reference.