Why Inclusion is a WIN for ALL Students!

Graphic by: https://www.tndisability.org/

Many districts are trending toward including children with disabilities in the general education classrooms as much as possible, and this is a wonderful plan for everyone involved. Including students in the Least Restrictive Environments is indeed required by law. Typical children and teachers actually benefit from this scenario as well. Here's why:

1. Inclusion teaches everyone about diversity. A classroom that's rich in diverse cultures, religions, and languages can help all students learn about these differences from an early age and embrace them. The same goes for classrooms with different abilities and neurodiversity. Students (and teachers!) learn from one another, and including a mix of students in a classroom will help everyone grow together, learn from one another, and embrace the differences that make each of them unique and special.

2. Students' attitudes and perceptions will change for the better. Many classrooms find that the typical children in an inclusion classroom will develop a greater sense of empathy and selflessness when they share a classroom with a child with disabilities.

3. Students with disabilities reach more of their goals. The teachers in the general education classroom will typically have high expectations for all of their students, so with the right supports in place, a student with disabilities will strive to meet those higher expectations. They'll also have more opportunities to learn social skills from the modeled behavior of the others students in their class.

4. Teachers will learn more about how to teach differently. Whether a child has a disability or not, they can all learn in different ways. Including a diverse mix of abilities in a classroom helps the teacher refine their skills on teaching to a wide variety of learning styles. This benefits all children in the classroom.

It's particularly important to start thinking about your child's learning environment early on. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states that students should be placed in the least restrictive environment, even if supports are required to help the student succeed. It is best practice to start in a general education classroom and scale back on the placement if the student needs that, rather than beginning in a secluded special education environment and working toward a general education placement.

The IEP Team, which the parent is an equal part of, will make the placement decision that is best for the student. Your child’s general education teacher should always be a part of the IEP Team so that their regular classroom placement can be planned for success. Stay in touch with your child’s teachers so you know what is happening day to day.  You can check out some ideas on home-school communication tools HERE.

Understanding Procedural Safeguards: A Guide for Families in Special Education

You probably know that your school is required to give you a copy of the procedural safeguards at least once a year if your child has an IEP. But, have you ever had to look through them? They can be a bit overwhelming and even confusing at times. The Arc Tennessee, through the Family Engagement Project, is breaking down the various parts of the Procedural Safeguards and giving families the basic idea behind each part to make it easier to understand. If you have questions about a particular topic, click the link below to learn more. If there is anything we haven't covered that you'd like to know more about, leave us a comment below and we will reach out!

First off, let's start with a link to the full version of the Procedural Safeguards. You should receive a copy of this in some form when you first meet with your child's school for the year:
CLICK HERE to read the full version.

Here's where we'll break this down into parts for you. Click on each topic to read more about what each one means for your child in special education:

Prior Written Notice

Native Language/Translation

Parental Consent

What if I don't Agree with an Evaluation?

What if I Want to Change my Child's Records?

Confidentiality of Information

State Complaint and Dispute Resolution Procedures

Procedures for Disciplining Children with Disabilities

• Corporal Punishment in Special Education

 When you need to send your child to Private School at Public Expense

Families can use Family Medical Leave for IEP Meetings!

Great news for working families who have children with IEPs and qualify for FMLA! The US Department of Labor recently wrote a letter which says working families who need to take time off to attend their child's IEP meeting can to do so under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). You can read the letter from the Department of Labor below.

The opinion letter says that parents who need to miss work to attend any meeting held under the IDEA (federal special education law), including IEP meetings, qualify for “intermittent leave” under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). For parents who struggle to balance work and advocating for services and supports their children need at school, this news will help with flexibility to take time off from work for important school meetings.

You can read the Department of Labor Letter HERE for more information. Just be aware that in order to use FMLA for an IEP meeting, your child must have a serious health condition that will be addressed during the meeting. Not all employers are required to provide FMLA, but it doesn't hurt to ask for the time off. Generally, you should give at least 30 days notice if possible and follow your employer's procedure for requesting time off.

Part 4: Transitioning from Middle School to High School in Special Education

This is the final big transition before your child will transition out to the real world. Congratulations on making it this far! While Middle School was probably the trickiest as far as figuring out a new way of scheduling classes and walking around to different classrooms throughout the day, now that your child has that experience under their belt, high school should be a breeze, right? Well, if you prepare yourself with these transition tips, it should be a very smooth transition for all involved.

1. Find out if your district has a formal plan for transitioning into High School.

You may find that you'll save yourself some time if they already have a plan in place. Review the plan and see if this will work well for you and your child. This plan may involve a special orientation meeting, often called a bridge meeting, you can set up before school starts. You'll need to consider if one meeting will be enough for your child, or if you should go in with your child to tour the school an additional time. Some families like to do this at the beginning of the summer to take photos that your child can review throughout the summer to help them better prepare for this new environment. So, if your district DOES have a plan, learn about it and see if you need to add any extra accommodations or modifications for your child to execute that plan more successfully.

2. Schedule your first IEP Team Meeting.

You should get this scheduled as early as possible so you can address any new areas of concern or opportunities for new goals, accommodations, or modifications that you think your child should have in place. You can request that the high school invite your child's middle school special education teacher to attend and share information about your child. You'll want to consider asking about things such as transportation, where your child will eat lunch and with whom, class schedule and elective options, looking ahead to an alternate academic diploma and state testing, etc.

3. Set up meetings with teachers before school starts.

This is a great opportunity to encourage your child to self-advocate if you want to have them reach out to their teachers on their own to arrange this meeting. They can come up with a list of questions they have for their teachers and have it ready for the meeting. This will provide them with some experience in greater independence which will come in handle throughout their high school journey.

4. Arrange a tour of the school.

Just like in middle school, this is an important step to take so that your child can see the new campus and map out an idea of their day. If you weren't able to arrange this during the bridge meeting, you may want to set this up toward the end of summer but before students return to school. You should walk to important places like restrooms, cafeteria, classrooms the main office, nurse's office, etc. If it helps for your child to have photos of these locations to review before starting school, take them at this time. If you have his/her schedule set, you could also make a photo map of their day to help them prepare.

5.  Start encouraging self-advocacy.

This will most likely be the school where your child will turn 18 and become and adult. This is a great time (if not sooner) to start practicing self-advocacy. Ask your child what their goals are for high school. Encourage them to plan for questions or comments they'd like to share during the meetings you have scheduled. Developing these skills early on will help them prepare for the world beyond high school.

6. Check out these resources to help you prepare for success:

Parent Tips for Supporting your Teen in High School

Transition Planning Tips from Understood.org

Moving On to High School: A Tip Sheet for Parents of Children on Individualized Education Plans