The Abridged version:
- Arranging special education services or accommodations for students with disabilities can be an arduous process for many parents across the Sacramento region.
- Parents who have spent years advocating for their children have common pieces of advice for families just starting out.
- Recommendations included bringing a friend or advocate to school meetings, not signing any documents right away and keeping records of all communications.
Getting services for students with disabilities can be a harrowing process for parents across the Sacramento region.
School district to school district, families described experiences rife with emotion and frustration, and meetings with educators so overwhelming it could feel “like we’re going to war each time.”
“These families are all trauma-bonded,” said Ryan Digman, the father of a son with autism and founder of the Special Education Advocacy PTA in Sacramento County’s San Juan Unified.
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Digman and other veteran parents said the beginning can be the hardest.
Here are some of their key pieces of advice and other good things to know.
Jump to:
What if I disagree with the school?
Can I bring someone to school meetings?
How should I keep records throughout the process?
Are there school groups or other resources?
What other advice do parents have?
What is an IEP?
Students qualify for an individualized education program after going through in-school evaluations and receiving a diagnosis from one of 13 identified disability categories.
The categories include autism, hearing impairment, speech impairment, physical disabilities and others.
Following diagnosis, parents or guardians meet with officials from the school and district to outline a specific plan for their student.
This plan, the IEP, lists specific and measurable goals, such as being able to spell a certain percentage of words correctly or responding to their name often enough. Parents and educators will also decide on services or accommodations, such as speech therapy or instructions in braille, to help a student reach these goals.
Meetings to go over the individualized education program must occur at least once a year, but families or the school can call additional conferences at any point during the school year.
What if I disagree with the school?
Parents have the right to challenge a diagnosis or recommended services.
They can push back or ask additional questions during the scheduled meetings. If there is still disagreement, the California Department of Education offers various resources.
They include getting a mediator involved or requesting help from the Special Education Department’s Constituent Support Services.
If parents disagree with the school’s evaluation and diagnosis, they can request an independent educational evaluation. Find more information about that process here.
Can I bring someone to school meetings?
Yes. Parents are allowed to bring family members, friends, other parents or hired advocates with them to IEP meetings.
Across Sacramento area school districts, parents said they routinely walked into these meetings or logged onto virtual calls to find five to 10 people waiting for them.
“You’re basically in a room with all these people you barely know,” Digman said. “It’s scary.”
Julie Resendez, a former special education director and Placer Hills Union School District superintendent, runs Resendez Advocacy in Roseville. She helps families statewide with services including joining meetings, asking specific questions and explaining the many acronyms or jargon used by officials.
Whether it is someone like her or a trusted confidant, she said, “Everybody needs an advocate.”
Should I sign right away?
Resendez stressed — parents should not sign anything right away.
The individualized education programs are legally binding, requiring school district staff and leaders to follow the agreed upon plan.
Resendez said she advises parents to take home the document drawn up during the meeting and review it on their own time, at their own pace, before signing.
How should I keep records throughout the process?
Digman said he tells every parent trying to get services for their children to keep records of all communication with the school district.
“It’s all about documenting,” he said.
Keep copies of emails or meeting notes, he said. If an aspect of the individualized plan is discussed over the phone, Digman said parents should follow up immediately after by email, stating everything that was discussed.
He said it is not unusual to end up with boxes or computer files full of records.
Parents can also audio record the meetings with school staff, as long as they give the district at least 24 hours’ notice.
Are there school groups or other resources?
Two special education PTAs began this year in the Sacramento area. One is in Natomas Unified and the other in San Juan Unified.
The groups bring parents of students with disabilities together, and each has started hosting events like sensory friendly birthday parties or all abilities dances.
Digman said he also points families toward local resources, such as the WarmLine Family Resource Center.
Larger school districts in the region have community advisory committees, in which parents, staff and students confer to provide feedback or ideas on the district’s special education system.
In San Juan Unified, administrators said they plan to soon release a special education handbook for parents, detailing what to expect from the process and parents’ rights.
What other advice do parents have?
“Go with your gut,” Digman said.
There are no bad questions, he said, and parents should voice any confusion or concerns they have.
Other parents, like Nora Torres, said families should be prepared to hear a lot of negatives.
“All you hear is, ‘Your kid’s not doing this,’ or ‘Your kid’s below this,'” said Torres, whose daughter has autism and attends school in Roseville.
Torres said anything parents can do ahead of the meeting, including reviewing school prepared reports or outlining top questions and concerns, is beneficial.
“An hour flies by,” she said.
Finally, many experienced parents reiterated: The plan should be unique and specific to each student and their needs.
“It can be intimidating,” said Marisa Azevedo, who runs We Rock the Spectrum Rocklin, a gym for kids with disabilities in Rocklin.
“But you know your child,” she said. “You are the expert in your child.”
