Schools are required to provide special needs children with an "appropriate "education. Parents want the "best" education for their children so conflict between parents and schools is normal and inevitable.
Answer
You have the right to disagree with the school about your child's needs, appropriate services, educational placements, and other issues.
Parent Consent: Before the school can place your child in a special education program for the first time, you must give your informed consent.
If you disagree with the school's proposed program, you should not consent to the IEP.
To eliminate misunderstandings, always describe your concerns and objections in writing.
You can negotiate, and try to resolve your dispute informally through the IEP process.
Request another IEP meeting to discuss other solutions.
Write a letter that describes your child's history and your concerns.
Discuss your concerns with the school members of the team. Try to reach an agreement.
The agreement may be temporary.
For example, you and the school may agree to try a program or placement for a specified period of time, and meet a few weeks later to discuss how your child is doing.
Question 2.
My child's IEP isn't working. How can I get the school to create an IEP with measurable goals?
Answer
A parent says, "my child isn't making progress." Your statement is not likely to persuade the IEP team. You need facts to support your position.
Get a comprehensive psycho-education evaluation of your child by an evaluator in the private sector. Choose an evaluator who is an expert in your child's disability. Choose an evaluator who is willing to attend an IEP meeting to discuss your child's needs.
After you receive the evaluation and discuss the findings, write a letter to request a meeting to review and revise your child's IEP. Describe your concerns and explain that these concerns led you to have your child evaluated by a specialist in the private sector.
Clearly state what you want the school to provide (i.e., "three 30-minute sessions of one-on-one speech therapy by a licensed speech-language pathologist per week).
During the IEP meeting, restate your concerns and what you want. The evaluator needs to describe your child's strengths, deficits, and how much speech therapy (or other services) your child requires to receive educational benefit.
Your evaluator must use data and facts to help the team members understand the significance of your child's problems. The team needs current, accurate information about your child's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance before it can develop an IEP with measurable goals that meets her need for a free, appropriate public education (FAPE).