The need for school nurse services is sometimes documented in Individual Health Plans (IHP). However, IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) also provides several opportunities for the involvement of school nurses in the education of students who are or may be students who qualify for special education services.
The development of the IEP is a critical step that a student’s team takes to communicate goals and share strategies that will support the student to reach those goals. Careful planning of the IEP meeting is essential when designing the services needed to support the child successfully.
Sometimes parents find out or believe that the district is not following their child’s IEP. When this situation occurs, it is essential for the parent to act quickly and to take the right steps in resolving the issue.
Conversations often happen during times when staff are busy, people are frustrated, or a child is in crisis. Putting your thoughts on paper gives you the opportunity to take as long as you need to state your concerns, think over what you've written ...
Too often expectations for children with special needs are not set high enough. When a high level of expectations is set, kids tend to strive to meet those expectations. Our kids want to be successful. It’s up to us to provide the environment for them to succeed.
Just hearing the word ARD (Admission Review and Dismissal meeting) can cause terror in some parents. I can remember sitting in my very first ARD meeting (in IDEA, this meeting is referred to as the IEP meeting). My husband was out of town and I did not know that I could take anyone with me, so I went by myself. I was brought in and given a chair at a very large table. The room was filled with people I had never seen before. To say that I felt intimidated is an understatement. I believe the only words I said were [...]
