More families are calling me about bullying in schools.  The problem seems especially pertinent to children with special needs.

Last week I spoke with Randy Wiler, Director of the Kansas Bulllying Prevention Program.  Randy is a law enforcement officer and a national expert on bullying.  We are fortunate to benefit from his service to our children and community.

Our children in special education narrowly dodged a drastic cut in funding under the Economic Stimulus Bill.  Instead, the final passed version of the bill seems to increase funds for special education.

I’m still studying the final results, but here’s how it looks.  The Senate stimulus bill would have allowed school districts to use federal funds to supplant local funds.  That would have resulted in an overall decrease in already underfunded programs for children with disabilities.

The final version eliminated that provision.  Instead, the final law included $12.2 billion for IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).

Three families consulted me this week to prepare for their IEP meetings.  In each case, we emphasized the importance of preparing for the meeting.  Preparation can help you better advocate for your child to obtain special education services.

Here are some of the ways you can prepare for your child’s next IEP meeting:

• Designate in writing additional members of your IEP team.  Parents can designate members of the IEP team who have knowledge of your child or expertise regarding your child’s disabilities.
• Prepare a statement of parental concerns.  Bring copies for everyone at the IEP meeting.  Request your statement to be included with the IEP and the conference notes from the meeting.
• Review your child’s most recent educational evaluation.  If your evaluation is inadequate or out of date, make a written request for a re-evaluation.  If the re-evaluation is inadequate, you might be entitled to an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense.

These are just a few of the many other ways you may prepare for your child’s IEP meeting.  Use the resource box at the right to contact me about your specific situation.