Welcome to Part Three of the How Did I Get Here Series. This is the final post for this series! In Part One we organized your child’s IEP. In Part Two we performed a documents review. And now in Part Three we will be writing your Parent Input Letter.
What is a parent input letter? It is a critically important piece of communication that you should write before every. single. IEP meeting. Let's get into all the Wh- questions about Parent Input Letters.
Why so important?
Unless your child is a full participant in their IEP meetings, YOU are their only voice. As part of your responsibility and commitment to your child, you have to seize this opportunity every single time. If your child does attend their IEP meetings, I still encourage you to write an input letter. You and your child could each write your own letters or you could collaborate on one together.
As a parent, you are the one person who is a consistent presence in the life and education of your child. You have unique perspectives because you know them outside of school. You are literally the expert. Furthermore, only you are uninfluenced by other factors that may pressure the rest of the IEP team (e.g. scheduling, staffing, limited resources, etc.) Your parent input will help keep the focus where it should stay- on your child.
It provides written documentation (aka proof) that you shared a concern, made a request, etc. Written documentation is far more reliable than memory.
It is your right. Parent input letters are not specifically mentioned in IDEA. But IDEA does mention parent participation many, many times. In Pennsylvania, Parent Input must be included in the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance section (PLAAFP) of the IEP. See screenshot. For the entire annotated IEP, see link below. Your parent input letter, in its entirety, should be included in the PLAAFP.
Your child's IEP goals will be based on need. Their services are based on needs. And all of your child's needs should be listed in the Present Levels (PLAAFP). YOUR Parent Concerns will also be listed in the PLAAFP. So YOUR input will help determine your child's goals and services.
When should you submit one? Submit a Parent Input Letter when you are either 1). requesting an IEP meeting or 2). in advance of a scheduled IEP meeting. If there is a meeting scheduled, then do your best to submit your Parent Input as early as possible (like 5-10 days ahead of the meeting). First of all, it's more fair. You probably wouldn't want brand new information that you're expected to make decisions on during the meeting. But even more importantly, if you have specific questions or requests, the school team will have some time to find answers. This makes the IEP meeting more productive. That said, if you just can't submit it that early, submit it as soon as you can.
Who/where should you send it to? I recommend sending Parent Input letters to your child's case manager (probably their special education teacher) as well as the Director of Special Education or whoever routinely acts as the LEA representative at your child's IEP meeting. Send via email. I like to send as an email attachment because it is easily printable to use as your agenda during the meeting.
What should you include in your Parent Input letter?
If it affects your child's education (including extracurriculars or other school sponsored events) and it needs to be addressed, then it should be in your parent input letter. Some suggestions include:
interventions/ strategies that are working
interventions/ strategies that are not working
behavior concerns
areas of need not yet identified
any changes in your child's health
any specific requests along with data to support your requests
How should it be written?
Be thorough. Be clear. Be concise. Leave out big emotions. Don't editorialize.
Thorough- Be as comprehensive as possible. Include academic concerns as well as functional performance concerns.
Clear- Say what you mean and mean what you say.
Concise- There is no limit on how long your parent concerns can be, but be reasonable.
Emotionless???- Hear me out. Navigating special education can be A LOT. And IEP meetings can be emotionally charged. But IEPs are legal documents, so best to stick with facts and omit emotions. For example, if you are frustrated that your child seems to always come home upset, instead of saying "I am furious about..." say "My child comes home visibly upset after school every Monday and Tuesday. When asked, he says it is about xyz. We are requesting...."
No editorializing- Just like you need to keep emotions out of your input, you also need to avoid editorializing. (Editorializing = introducing opinion in the reporting of fact.) It may be true that you absolutely love your child's SLP. And including that in your letter may be nice, but it isn't helpful. Know what is? Sharing the specific strategies, tools, or methods the SLP uses that are the reasons you love her.
One more thing- Sometimes districts will solicit parent input with surveys and questionnaires. If you feel their method 1). comprehensively covered everything you needed to discuss AND 2). it all makes it into your child's IEP, then it is totally fine to utilize the school's survey/ questionnaire in place of your own written parent input letter. Just make sure both criteria are met. You could also choose to fill out their forms and still write your own letter. (That's what I do!)
I hope you enjoyed reading the How Did I Get Here Series as much as I enjoyed writing it! In future posts we'll have to discuss Vision Statements, Prior Written Notice, Dispute Resolution, Inclusion, Discipline, Post-Secondary Education, etc., etc., etc.
We're just getting started around here!
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With Love, Light & Gratitude,
Janell
P.S. Not so sure you want to take on this process alone? I can help! Check out my Services page to book a FREE consultation.
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