NEWSLETTER

Winter 2024

~ In this Issue ~

Special Education Issues:

Alternative School Placements

Preparing for Your Child's Annual Review

Family Law:

Taking the First Steps

Mental Health and Confidentiality Act Changes

Upcoming Webinars:

Preparing for your Annual IEP

An interactive and practical presentation with tips for making

the most out of this important meeting.

Tuesday, March 2, 2024

Time: 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. via Zoom

Click HERE to Register

ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL PLACEMENTS                 

P.A. 103-0473

Date Effective: 1/1/2024

This Act amends the requirements regarding alternative education plans and placement for students transferred to an alternative school pursuant to Article 13A of the School Code via an administrative transfer for disciplinary reasons. It requires the student’s parent or guardian to be informed about the alternative school program prior to the transfer date. The information provided should include the specific nature of the curriculum, disciplinary policies, daily schedule, and extracurricular offerings.

The Act also requires the sending school and the alternative school personnel to meet following the student’s transfer to develop an alternative educational plan. All alternative education plans must include the method and timeframe for the student transitioning back to the regular educational program, including a transition meeting between the school district, the alternative school, and the parent or guardian at least 30 days prior to the student’s return date.

The school district may extend the student’s return day upon written agreement by school district, the alternative school, and the parent or guardian. The return date cannot be extended if the parent or guardian does not consent.

Preparing for Your Child’s Annual Review

At this time of year, both schools and parents begin anticipating the annual review meeting where a student’s IEP is reviewed, and goals are set for the next school year. For many students this is the only meeting this school year. For others the IEP team may have met several times already to adjust and to revise the plan. I have attended many IEP meetings in my career and in representing children and families I have often used a checklist to help them prepare for the meeting.

Develop an Agenda before the meeting:

• What are your concerns? These should be shared in writing with the school. I advise parents to share them in advance in order to allow everyone to be prepared to discuss them and to ensure that the right people are present at the meeting.
• Prioritize your requests regarding current services and supports in the IEP.
• What outcomes do you want to see regarding your child?
•  Send these concerns, questions and goals to the IEP case manager or director in advance of the meeting.      
• Have you received draft copies of evaluations, IEP goals and other documents 3 days in advance of the meeting?
• Will your child attend the IEP?
• Will you be providing any outside reports?
• Develop a Shared Agenda if possible.

The Meeting:

• Is everyone present who need to be there to discuss your child’s educational needs and services?
• Does the agenda reflect your concerns and priorities?
• Has enough time been allocated to address all of your concerns and questions?
• Has the District provided data that documents progress?
• Do you need additional data? If so, what is the plan to gather that information and how long will this take?
• What is working?
• What research-based interventions is the team using to educate your child? This is an answer that they should be able to provide.
• What isn’t working?
• Personnel issues should not be discussed at the IEP meeting.
• Are the goals measurable? Data driven?
• Ask how and when the services will be delivered to your child?
• Will the services be delivered in a group? Individually?
• How often will data be taken?
• Keep the meeting focused on what your child needs.

Following the Meeting:

If you need additional time to review the IEP or think about what was proposed don’t be afraid to ask. However, I suggest to my clients that they get back to the team regarding the proposed IEP and any changes within 72 hours. If there is no consensus, another meeting may be necessary.