ABCs of School Advocacy: Part 3

Change

Welcome! I am Sarah Lawson of LEAPS with Lawson. I am a licensed school psychologist practicing in Florida. For more information about my practice and me, read my first blog post! I am so glad you are here. Today I am writing about advocacy in schools. This is the third and final entry of three, with this topic being change.

 If you read the first blog in this series, you know that the “A” in the Advocacy ABCs stands for awareness. We talked about how knowledge is power. This is true to an extent, but oftentimes, knowledge alone is not empowering. The next step to advocating for a student/your child is to be bold. Therefore, the second blog was about boldness. We discussed how advocating often means stepping outside of our comfort zones to go to bat for the ones we love. Once we are aware of what we need to do, and feel empowered to be bold, the next step involves change.

What does change look like?

To start off this answer, I have a confession. There are two words that I have found to drive my question-answering in this field: “That depends.” I say it often and can hear how annoying that answer might be because of its seemingly generic implication. However, I am sincere when I say it. There is a reason why the plans we draft and implement for students are called IEPs. They are individualized. This means the steps we take to support children should be unique to their needs. So, change means different things for different people. Let us walk through some things that may change because of an informed, empowered child advocate (that means you).

Change of identification

While a person’s identity does not change due to the discovery or confirmation of a diagnosis or label, the term identification is used in schools to delineate students with disabilities from those without disabilities. (Yes, the terms we use are often problematic. That discussion needs to be had as well). We “identify” a student as having a disability after completing evaluations. In the school setting, an evaluation can mean many things. If a team is considering a possible 504 Accommodation Plan for a student, an evaluation could include parent and teacher input forms, a review of records, and data collected related to tests. It could be as simple as that. If a team is looking into a need for services, not just accommodations, they would need to evaluate for a possible disability to determine eligibility and need for an IEP. Whether the goal is to decide on appropriateness of implementation of a 504 Plan or an IEP, an evaluation is required. When the school team decides the student does meet eligibility criteria for either, the student is then identified as a student with a disability. This change opens access to accommodations and/or services.  

Change of placement

Once a student is identified as a student with a disability and the team decides to implement an IEP, there could be a change of placement. A student should not be moved from their environment (if a student does not have an IEP, this should be the general education classroom) prior to implementation of an IEP or without parent consent. If this is a situation you have faced or are facing, know this is not okay. To change a student’s placement, a school team should meet and discuss supporting data as to why the current classroom is not best for them. Every student in public schools is entitled to a free, appropriate education, remember? Part of this requirement is that they receive education in the least restrictive environment. There are many phrases and acronyms used in education, especially in special education. Parents who do not work in the field of education likely feel overwhelmed by the jargon and terminology. You are not alone! The least restrictive environment, or LRE, is essentially the place that the student receives services and instruction. It needs to be the least restrictive place that appropriately and adequately meets their needs. The level of restriction basically means how often the student is with their peers who are “nondisabled.” Let us unpack that. The most restrictive placement is typically an alternative school where there are classrooms with students with disabilities. In these settings, there are usually not students without disabilities. From that placement, there is a spectrum with the general education classroom at the other end. Along that spectrum, teams have flexibility in determining which setting is most appropriate. What is least restrictive for one student may not be the same for another. For example, a student with a combination of needs that are not able to be met in the general education classroom may need to be served within a “self-contained” classroom, or a special-needs classroom where there is a higher level of ongoing support provided throughout the day. This may be their least restrictive environment even though it sounds and looks like one that is very restrictive. The way teams determine this need is by evaluating individual needs. Parents/guardians are equally part of this team and ultimately have the right to choose.

Change of services

If a child does not have an IEP in place, they do not have services. This word applies to the help provided directly to the child by a person qualified for that service. For examples, a special education teacher provides explicit instruction in reading, a speech-language pathologist provides speech therapy, or an occupational therapist provides therapy for fine motor skills. Someone is implementing a specific, targeted intervention for a student so their IEP goals can be met. If a child does have an IEP in place, services can be changed as needed. A meeting can be called by the teacher, parent, or someone on the team to discuss appropriate changes. This can be due to improvement in skills that is more rapid than expected, a newly determined need, or a lack of sufficient progress toward meeting a goal. IEPs are fluid documents that should reflect present levels. While they are reviewed and (usually) modified annually, they can be amended before that time.

 Change of environment

Yes, I said change of placement, and this sounds the same. However, what happens in a child’s school environment can change without a formal change in placement. If a student is determined to have a disability and has a 504 Plan implemented, they can receive accommodations that alter the learning environment. These accommodations would be formalized on a plan and are required to be implemented across settings at school. For example, a reduction of distractions may be needed for a student who may have a hard time focusing during tests. A student may have a physical need that results in a change in the way the classroom is structured. There may need to be a change in interventions implemented in the class. Perhaps a student has some skills that are delayed, and there needs to be a change in how the skills are taught. 

This list is not all inclusive but should give you an idea of how awareness and boldness can lead to positive change for students with exceptional needs. If you know your child or someone you care about needs a change in school, start with asking questions about their needs and what things are being implemented to address those needs. If you are not sure where to start or what questions to ask, reach out to someone like Dr. Lawson and express your concerns. Most people working in education want what is best for kids, but sometimes things happen and there may need to be input from someone outside of the school, from someone like you. 

Visit the Advocacy Corner on my site to learn more about student and family rights and resources in the community!