Why again is December so difficult? Because children crave consistency and routine and December is one of the most inconsistent months of the year. We have a winter break, days off for parent-teacher conferences, assemblies, etc. The “normal” schedule is altered including whatever changes are happening at home. You also need to consider the pressure of being able to afford gifts or the increase in the use of alcohol for celebrations. These factors affect us as adults, can you only imagine how they impact our children?

I find it unacceptable when I hear stories of families being told their child is “not failing” so there is no need for Special Education services. Why should failure dictate need? Another scenario that pains me, is when parents have been requesting an evaluation for years and get the runaround from the school.

“Do I even have a choice?” This is the question I’m being asked most often now when it comes to what our children are being offered in school. The perception is that things are being done to parents, not with us or for us. What adds to the stress and anxiety is not being able to see around the corner at what’s next.

The “one-size-fits-all” idea has truly been exposed as we’ve moved to remote and hybrid learning models due to COVID-19. Think about it for a minute, regardless of whether your child is full remote or hybrid, are the assignments being differentiated to meet their needs or is every child getting the same lesson?

These situations have lead me to where I am today as an educational consultant. After years of having these meetings and seeing parents feel lost and overwhelmed, I wanted to give them support for these challenging times. Parents should feel empowered and provided guidance through this process. You don’t know what you don’t know, and I am here to help.

If your child’s IEP states under programs and services that they should have a service, then they are entitled to it.  If the student was not provided the service and are not making progress on their IEP goal, the student is owed compensatory services.  The Committee on Special Education would need to reconvene and determine if the student has made adequate progress or would be entitled to compensatory services.