Bring An Attorney To War: When Should You Drag An Attorney To Your Child's IEP?
By Michelle Ball, California Education Attorney for Students since 1995 Lately it seems not a week goes by that I don't accompany multiple families to IEP meetings (IEP: Individualized Education Program). My clients find great value in attorney advocacy for their children. When should you bring an attorney to an IEP meeting? When you are done being spun in circles by your child's school and/or wondering whether your child is receiving appropriate services to meet their unique needs. IEP meetings can be confusing, tough, and yet, are rather important to a child's education and life. A student's life can change for better or worse with a well written IEP and proper services. This is because the purpose of the IEP meeting is the CHILD and their EDUCATION and meeting their UNIQUE NEEDS in the school. If the IEP is unclear, wimpy or does not address all areas of need, well, the child is being let down and somewhat thrown to the wolves. Parents also are, w...