Are you looking for a way to document concerns about your child’s special education program ? Here are strategies I used when writing a Parent Concerns Letter that have been very effective at getting the IEP Team to take my concerns seriously.
A properly written Parent Concerns Letter has the potential to significantly improve your relationship with the school. It has been my experience that when I demonstrated that I was knowledgeable about my son’s disabilities and the special education process, the school was more likely to take my concerns seriously.
For many years, I failed to consistently write letters, and even when I did, they were not written properly. M y letters made it appear that I didn’t have a clear understanding of my son’s d isabilities or areas of need. M ore importantly, my letters fully captured my level of anger and frustration with the school. To be honest, I sounded like a fire-breathing dragon.
I completely lost sight of the fact that my letters were supposed to be about my son. Instead, I made them about me and the school. As a result, nothing ever changed. N eedless to say, I was clearly doing it all wrong!
It is my hope that by reading this post, you will have a better understanding of how to write an effective Parent Concerns Letters.
In plain language, a Parent Concerns Letter is a formal letter you write and send to the school (IEP Team) that outlines the concerns you have about your child’s educational program.
A Parent Concerns Letter should be sent to your child’s IEP Case Manager via email. It’s also a good idea to Cc all members of the IEP Team to ensure that everyone is on the same page and aware of your concerns.
Parents should write a Parent Concerns Letter to make the IEP Team aware of any changes in the child’s life that may impact their behavior and/or academic performance. Changes, such as the death of a close friend/family member/pet, separation/divorce, or moving to a new home can have a significant impact on a child of any age.
A letter should also be sent whenever a Parent believes the school is not taking their concerns seriously . It is extremely important that as early as possible, Parents begin documenting concerns and sharing them with the school.
In special education, timing and documentation are everything. If the school continues to ignore your concerns, you will have documentation to show when the issue was first brought to their attention. When in doubt, share your concerns.
One of the most important times to send a letter is before an IEP meeting. Parents often wait until they’re at the meeting to share their concerns. This is a big mistake. More often than not, the school will need time to fully understand your concerns. By sending the letter well in advance of the meeting, the school will be in a much better position to discuss your concerns and put together a plan or strategy to resolve the issue.
Y our letter should p resent a fair and balanced picture of your child’s educational program that is based on relevant facts . By fair and balanced, I mean you should discuss the things you believe the school is doing correctly as well as the areas of concern.
Your letter should include your child’s name, date of birth, and the names of any professionals involved in their education. The letter should describe your concerns in detail and explain how you think they relate to your child’s IEP. It is also helpful to include any supporting documentation, such as evaluations or progress reports.
When trying to decide how to format your letter, you can look to the IEP for guidance. The IEP is divided into the following sections:
In my letters, I addressed any concerns I had in each of these areas. This is where the information I gathered by avoiding Fatal Special Education Mistakes (putting everything in writing), using Special Education Strategies (keeping a detailed log of communications with the school), and documenting Homework Challenges (gathering objective and subjective data) came into play. The information I collected allowed me to speak with certainty about when I contacted the school, who I contacted, what information I shared, my son’s challenges when completing homework, my observations, and any information my son shared with me.
Whenever possible, it’s a good idea to include items, such as tables or charts. These items allow you to show your child’s improvement or regression in a very clear and concise manner. It doesn’t need to be fancy or elaborate.
The length of your letter will depend on what you need to share with the school. Your overall goal is to provide the school with a better understanding of what you believe are your child’s needs based on the documentation in your possession. For some Parents, that may be a single page. For others, it may take multiple pages.
Your letter should not include s tatements that are based solely on your opinions . More importantly, you should refrain from making negative or derogatory comments about the school, teachers, or administrator s.
N ow, I will be the first to admit that when things are going wrong, writing this type of letter can be challenging. It’s really hard not to w rite exactly what you think about the people you believe are ignoring or minimizing your concerns. R emember, my letters made me look like a fire-breathing dragon!! Not a good look!
To make the process a bit easier, i t helps to p retend your letter is going to be read by an independent official. In my case, the independent official was a due process hearing officer. My fire-breathing dragon letters and emails were entered into evidence by the school in an attempt to make it appear that I was unreasonable and difficult to work with.
When writing your letter, you might find it helpful to ask yourself the following question, What would a hearing officer think after reading this letter or email? If the answer is anything other than … This parent is friendly and reasonable … This parent is knowledgeable about their child’s disability and areas of need … This parent is making an effort to work with the school … I suggest that you go back and make the necessary changes.
Once you have completed your letter, I suggest you wait a day, or two, before sending it to the school. This will give you time to think about the contents to make sure you haven’t left out any key information. Once you are comfortable with the information, it’s a good idea to give your letter the due process hearing officer test I discussed previously and remove any negative comments about the school or school personnel. Remember, the tone of your letter is very important.
When you are completely satisfied with your letter, send it to the entire IEP Team. This letter will serve as a starting point for you and the IEP Team to discuss your concerns and possible solutions or interventions BEFORE the IEP meeting. As noted previously, do not wait until the meeting to share your concerns because, it’s highly unlikely that there will be enough time to address and resolve new issues during an hour long IEP meeting. The last thing that you want is to have to schedule another IEP meeting.
Yes, and here’s the strategy that I use.
The I EP includes a section titled, Parental concerns for enhancing the education of the student. This section is one of the most important parts of the IEP. It represents a chance for you to document what you believe are your child’s most important areas of need.
In my state o f Pennsylvania , the school usually sends out a Parent Input Form before an IEP meeting. This form is where Parents can share their child’s strengths, weaknesses, and a ny concerns. A fter the Parent returns the completed form, the school summarizes the information and the end result will be the Parental Input Statement. The school then includes this statement in the IEP under the section titled, Parental concerns for enhancing the education of the student.
Instead of returning t he completed Parent Input F orm and having it summarized by the school, I use it to write a formal Parent Concerns Letter. Prior to the IEP Meeting I send the letter to the IEP Team and work to resolve my concerns.
Immediately after the meeting, I update the Parent Concerns Letter to include any issues that remain outstanding. I then ask the school to include my updated letter, in its entirety – as written, in the IEP under the section titled, Parental concerns for enhancing the education of the student. The key point being, I do not allow the school to summarize my input.
In addition to including the updated letter in the IEP, I also request to have it added to my son’s educational records.
In conclusion, a Parent Concerns Letter is a valuable tool for documenting your concerns. With a clear understanding of the purpose behind t hese letters, you can avoid many of the common pitfalls by writing letters that are fact-based and focused on your child. It’s really important to understand that the school is more than happy for you to keep the fight between you and them so they don’t have to focus on providing your child with an appropriate education.
Disclaimer: Mary Price is not an attorney or legal expert. Special Ed Process does not offer legal advice. See Privacy Policy for full disclaimer.
