mediation

[lordhelpme]

i just contacted the mich Special Education mediation program. it is a federally funded program that acts as an unbias third party.

i just felt that difficult child's situation of working in a small conference room with-an aid for most of the day for the next 4 1/2 wks will have to do for now but i want things resolved now as to what is going to happen next yr. i don't want to be scrambling come the end of aug trying to find an opening in a program somewhere else.

so have you used mediation before? was this the right thing to do? i haven't asked the school what they plan for next yr as they are waiting on the possible county program to be approved still(the vote last weds was not a vote but a 'lets look into it' and the sup emailed me today that it is still 'viable').

 

[Sheila]

Coleen,

What happens next year should be dictated by your son's IEP -- not via a vote of the school board. As defined by the Court, an IEP (Individual Education Program) should be "individualized," "personalized," "tailored," and "specially designed" to meet the "unique needs" of that one child."" Trading one presigned curriculum/program for another will not necessarily meet the criteria for an appropriate IEP for difficult child.

And yes, your sd knows this.

Mediation can be helpful, and it is a step in mandated IDEA Procedural Safeguards. This is typically a voluntary procedure, e.g., both parties (parent and sd) must agree to utilize mediation.

I've used mediation, but never had to go through the Mediation. After I formally requested Mediation (via CM to the sd and SEA), the sd got their act together. I can only assume that they didn't want the SEA involved and it involved a strategy in case I filed Due Process.

Keep good written records -- they may come in handy. A student's IEP based on the vote of a school board is definately a problem area for the sd.