IEP question regarding acceptance

[Kjs]

I have a perfect person who knows difficult child (counselor at elementarty school) Is difficult child's best friend. She is the only person I know who can really get through to him. She has been a counselor for many many years, before easy child was there. She teaches parenting classes, she has helped me through some very difficult times. She said she would go with me, but it would have to be after 3pm when her school gets out. Middle school gets out at 3:40. I know she will do what is best for difficult child. She will know what to say and even though she works for sd, She will be honest and fair.
IEP is set for 2:15pm next week. Can I request a reschedule at a later time? Then I won't have to be alone. What if they tell me they cannot make a later time? Then what do I do?

 

[Sheila]

You are a parent -- not a student. IEP meetings are appointments -- just like any other business. While I try very hard to accommodate educators time, if I need to reschedule, I do.

When I have to reschedule, I do it in this fashion:

Regretfully, I am not available to attend the meeting on (date) at 2:15 pm and need to have the meeting rescheduled. The meeting will have to be after 3:30 pm. Presently, I have the following dates available:

5/22 @ 3:15 pm
5/25 @ 3:30 pm
5/26 @ 3:45 pm

Please let me know which would be most convenient for you.

Do not be surprised if they don't want to meet after school. I've had the sd tell me or parents I work with that the meeting can't take place after school. That is incorrect information -- it's a preference on the sd's part.

Email and/or fax it -- preferrably both.

 

[Kathy813]

I have a question, Sheila. What if the parent demands a time that is after the work hours of the teachers? For example, my work hours are from 7 - 3 (although I usually am there before 7 and after 3). What if a parent says that they can't leave work until 4 or 4:30. Can a teacher be forced to put in unpaid time to accommodate a parent when it comes to an IEP meeting or does the meeting have to take place during the normal school work hours?

This has never been an issue for me. I was just curious.

~Kathy

 

[Martie]

Kathy,

The meeting does NOT have to be during regular school hours. The law is quite specific about accommodating the needs of parents. However, the law is silent on how teachers should be fairly compensated in the situation you raise.

If I were a parent's advocate or att'y, I would point out that teachers attend evening school functions all the time (if that were true and it certainly was in the schools my kids attended.) If teachers are not compensated for those occasions, then they might be hard pressed to refuse to attend an IEP meeting. Many contracts include a clause for "other duties as assigned." Teachers' unions (or not) would also come into play.

Interesting question :smile:

Martie

 

[Sheila]

We have some pretty strong labor laws in Texas. Any additional hours acquired during a pay period must be paid at the 1 1/2 overtime rate. I would think a school district is not exempt from your state labor laws.

Teacher contracts may provide guidance on these type issues also.

There are also other potential options to hold meetings like the parent attending by phone.

But my short answer would be that the sd needs to pay for your time.

Personally, I think both parties (parents and sds) should have reasonable expectations about regular business hours and not be inflexible regarding creating unnecessary hardships.

Presently, I wouldn't dream of asking for an IEP time slot at 6:00 pm although it would be more convenient. But if my circumstances changed and I had to make a choice between loosing my job and not being able to meet my child's basic needs like food, clothing and housing, I would. That doesn't mean I'd get it without a knockdown drag out fight at our District -- and that's just what it would be. lol I feel that if our District can go to the expense of staffing after-school activities and pay the additional costs for operating the facility, they can do likewise for difficult child's education. But again, hope it never comes to that. It wouldn't be pleasant. :faint:

 

[Sheila]

Marti, you slipped in on me. You said it much more eloquently than I did.

 

[Martie]

Hi Sheila,

Kathy asked you not me but I thought it was a good question so I responded. Call me a big-mouth! :smile:

Martie

 

[Kathy813]

Thanks, Martie. I may just have to bring this up in the class I am starting in June. It's called Teachers and the Law .

We are required to attend Open House twice a year and we are not compensated for it (which is why I get furious when I sit there for four hours to meet parents and only two parents out of the 150 students that I teach show up but that's a topic for another thread). However, two times a year is one thing; I teach a lot of Special Education students and if each parent demanded an evening meeting, it could get ridiculous. Not to mention that teachers have families and evening obligations, too.

Another issue is travel. I am lucky that I live close to my school but I know of some teachers that drive an hour to get to school. What are they supposed to do? Go home and then drive back and forth again? With gas being $3.00 a gallon?

This is an interesting question. We don't have teacher unions here in Georgia. It's against the law for public servants to belong to a union. So unions aren't the answer here.

I do think that I am going to ask my professor about this. This could even be an interesting topic for a paper. :grin: I'm glad that the parents that I have dealt with have been willing to work with the teachers at my school and meet with us during work hours. I do know that only one reg ed teacher is required to be at the IEP meeting so I'm sure that a parent that wanted to meet with more reg ed teachers than that would be better off trying to work the meeting into the normal school hours.

~Kathy

 

[Kathy813]

Sheila,

You slipped in on me, too. As far as being paid for the extra time, that is actually funny to me.

No, teachers in Georgia do not get paid anything above the stated 190 contract days (8 hour days). However, we are expected and required to go to extra events such as Open House and graduation.

I remember a long time ago some teachers protested the extra hours without extra pay but got nowhere since we don't have any unions to back us up.

I really don't mind going to things like Open House (even without compensation for the extra time) but I wish that the parents would show up. The parent apathy (at least at the high school level) is astounding to me and seems to get worse each year.

I also don't mind going to graduation since I like to see my students walk across that stage knowing that they are starting a new phase in their lives. I wouldn't mind a little compensation for my time, though.

Honestly, no parent has ever requested a meeting during non teacher work hours. This is all hypothetical.

~Kathy