Part 1: Transitioning from TEIS to Pre-School

When children transition from TEIS (Tennessee Early Intervention Services) into Preschool Services in the special education system in public schools, it can be a challenging time. Families do not always know where to begin. We will lay out a few helpful tips for getting started so you can rest easy knowing you will have your ducks in a row before your child turns 3 so you will be ready to leave behind the world of home-based services for a whole new world in a classroom!

1. Prepare for your child's first IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting: Before your child turns 3 years old, your TEIS service coordinator will arrange for a transition IEP meeting if your child will continue to qualify for services in pre-school. Make sure you schedule this for a time that will work with your schedule so you can attend. Decide if you'd like to have anyone else there with you to help advocate for your child. Ideally this should be someone who knows you and your child.

2. Have your child's medical records ready: When you do set up your IEP meeting, you will want to make sure you share any outside evaluations and assessments your child has completed. The school will provide necessary evaluations as well to help identify what services your child will need. Some schools will only accept evaluations that they complete, but it is helpful to share your child’s medical records with your child’s IEP Team.

3. Understand LRE (Least Restrictive Environment): LRE is different for every child. This will be a big part of what you will want to discuss in your IEP meeting since it will determine where your child spends their time in the classroom. Click here for more info on LRE.

4. Complete all registration forms on time: Many school districts now offer online registration. If your school does not offer that yet, make sure you stop by your school’s office and pick up the packet of paperwork you will need to fill out and get it back as soon as possible. This allows for the school to have the information they need on all students who will be joining them in the Fall.

5. Visit the school: Your child's new school should welcome a visit from your family before your child starts. This will make everyone more comfortable during this transition because the teachers and staff will get to know you and your child, and you will get to know them. Just call the school office and set up a time. This is a great opportunity to make sure the school is a good fit for your child, and you can make sure that the environment truly is the least restrictive option for your child. If you have any concerns, be sure to speak up!


While this transition is one filled with big changes, the everyone’s goal is to see your child succeed and thrive in school! By being here and reading this post, you are already well on your way toward becoming more prepared. Good job on being dedicated to your child's education! For more information on how to stay engaged at school, be sure to follow us on social media: www.facebook.com/fespendtn

Transition Tips for Bridging to a New School in Special Education in Tennessee

If your child is getting ready to move up to a new school and you're wondering what you can do to prepare yourself (and them) for this big change, you've come to the right place! We'll be putting out a series of resources for families involved in special education in Tennessee to help you better prepare for the road ahead. If you have any tips you'd like to share, be sure to leave them in the comments below!

Part 1:  Transitioning from TEIS to Preschool

Part 2:  Transitioning from Pre-School to Kindergarten

Part 3:  Transitioning from Elementary to Middle School

Part 4:  Transitioning from Middle School to High School

Part 2: Transitioning from Pre-School to Kindergarten

For many families understanding the transition from Pre-School to Kindergarten can be an adventure. This can be even more challenging if your child receives special education services. You don't necessarily know where to begin. We'll lay out a few helpful tips for getting started so you can rest easy knowing you'll have your ducks in a row when your child turns 5 and enters the "big kid" world of elementary school!

1. Reach out to the school well in advance: Your child may not be scheduled for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) before school starts, but there are certain things that you can have in place even before the IEP team meets to set goals. For example, if your child will need a one on one aide or special transportation services, you can talk to your child’s special education teacher to see what can be done to get the ball rolling. Depending on the school's summer schedule, you may reach out to the office staff there or the support services specialists at the central office.

2. Attend any family events: Most schools will hold a parent information night for rising kindergarten families in the Spring of the year before your child will start school there. Be on the lookout for that information – watch the school’s calendar on their website - so you can attend and become familiar with the school, principal, teachers and staff. This is a great way to start letting everyone at the school know about you and you child and any accommodations you anticipate your child will need when they start school.

3. Complete all registration forms on time: Many districts have started offering online registration. If your school doesn't offer that yet, make sure you stop by the office and pick up the packet of paperwork you'll need to fill out. This allows the school to have an accurate record of students who will be joining them in the Fall and gives them an opportunity to start preparing for any special education services and accommodations your child may need.

4. Have your child's medical records ready: Before your child starts elementary school, most of the qualifying diagnoses may be medical, so it will be important to bring those records with you. These can be helpful in writing goals and identifying needed accommodations for your child. The school will typically do their own evaluations and share the results with you. You may have had private evaluations and assessments done as well. Be sure to share all your evaluation reports with your school so the IEP Team has lots of information to make the best plan possible for your child’s education. 

We hope that these tips help set you off in the right direction as you prepare your child for kindergarten. If you have any questions or would like to mention other helpful tips, you can leave them in the comments below or email us at japrea@thearctn.org.

Be sure to check out all of the other resources offered on our blog and follow us on social media to help guide you on your special education journey! As parents/caregivers, you play an important role in your child's road to success.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/fespedtn
CLICK HERE FOR MORE BRIDGING TIPS TO OTHER GRADE LEVELS:
https://fespedtn.blogspot.com/2019/06/bridging-tips-in-special-education.html

Community Conversation on Family Engagement in East TN

Do you have a child receiving Special Education services in Tennessee? Or do you teach Special Education in TN? We would love to have you join us in a community conversation to help us better serve our students receiving Special Education services.

 The Arc of Tennessee is partnering with the State Department of Education to host community conversations across the state to open a dialogue between families and schools and see how we can continue to work together and strengthen family engagement in special education.

If you live in East Tennessee, please join us on May 9th for our next Community Conversation! We will meet at the John T. O’Connor Senior Center at 611 Winona Street in Knoxville from 6:30-8pm and refreshments will be provided. If you can't join us in person, feel free to chime in on our Facebook page! We will broadcast the event LIVE and you'll have an opportunity to share your thoughts even if you can't attend the event.

To register for this FREE event: CLICK HERE
To follow along on Facebook: CLICK HERE

We hope to see you there!

Community Conversation on Family Engagement in West TN!

Do you have a child receiving Special Education services in Tennessee? We would love to have you join us in a community conversation to help us better serve you and your child. The Arc of Tennessee is partnering with the State Department of Education to host community conversations across the state to open a dialogue between families and schools and see how we can continue to work together and strengthen family engagement in special education.

The Department of Education has been giving out surveys to families for years, but the response rate has been pretty low. We're hoping to collect even more feedback from families with children receiving services from birth all the way to age 22 so that we can use that data to strengthen family engagement. Our number one goal is to be sure that we are making it as easy as possible for families to feel welcomed and involved in their child's education with the end goal being the best possible outcome for the child.

If you live in West Tennessee, please join us on April 9th for our next Community Conversation! We will meet at the Christ United Methodist Church at 4488 Poplar Ave in Memphis from 6:30-8pm and refreshments will be provided. If you can't join us in person, feel free to chime in on our Facebook page! We will broadcast the event LIVE and you'll have an opportunity to share your thoughts even if you can't attend the event.

To register for this FREE event: CLICK HERE
To follow along on Facebook: CLICK HERE

We hope to see you there!

Corporal Punishment in Special Education

Corporal Punishment at School for Children with Disabilities in Tennessee

What Parents Need to Know 

In 2018 Tennessee’s legislature passed a new law about corporal punishment for students who receive special education services through an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) or a 504 Plan under the Rehabilitation Act.

The new law prohibits corporal punishment (defined as paddling in Tennessee code) of students who receive special education services unless:

1. School system has a policy that allows corporal punishment; and
2. Parent of the child receiving special education services has given written permission for corporal punishment.

A parent’s permission for corporal punishment for their child must be in writing and include:

1. Type of corporal punishment allowed; and
2. Circumstances in which it is permitted.

Parents may change their mind about corporal punishment at any time and withdraw this permission in writing to the school principal.

Beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, each school system must submit a report the Tennessee Department of Education about corporal punishment that includes:

1. School where each corporal punishment occurred;
2. Reason for each corporal punishment;
3. If a student paddled had an IEP, the student’s primary disability category; and
4. If a student paddled had a 504 plan, the reason for which the student has a 504 plan.

The report the schools send to the State will not include student’s names.

Each year, the Tennessee Department of Education will report on its website the number of times each school system paddles a student and the number of times they use corporal punishment on a student who has an IEP or a 504 Plan.

The Tennessee Department of Children's Services will have rules about corporal punishment and the circumstances that warrant corporal punishment in their special school district. These will allow for corporal punishment only as is reasonably necessary. Records will be kept about who requested a student be paddled with a brief description of the circumstances.

For more information, contact Loria Hubbard at lhubbard@thearctn.org.

Community Conversation on Family Engagement in Special Education

Do you have a child receiving Special Education services in Tennessee? We would love to have you join us in a community conversation to help us better serve you and your child. The Arc of Tennessee is partnering with the State Department of Education to host community conversations across the state to open a dialogue between families and schools and see how we can continue to work together and strengthen family engagement in special education.

The Department of Education has been giving out surveys to families for years, but the response rate has been pretty low. We're hoping to collect even more feedback from families with children receiving services from birth all the way to age 22 so that we can use that data to strengthen family engagement. Our number one goal is to be sure that we are making it as easy as possible for families to feel welcomed and involved in their child's education with the end goal being the best possible outcome for the child.

If you live in Middle Tennessee, please join us on March 5th for our very first Community Conversation! We will meet at the West Police Precinct at 5500 Charlotte Pike from 6:45-8:15pm and refreshments will be provided. If you can't join us in person, feel free to chime in on our Facebook page! We will broadcast the event LIVE and you'll have an opportunity to share your thoughts even if you can't attend the event.

To register for the event: CLICK HERE
To follow us on Facebook: CLICK HERE