Top 10 IEP & 504 Plan Problems: A Troubleshooting Guide
The following webinar was hosted by ADDitude Magazine and sponsored by Brain Balance.
Parenting a student with an IEP or 504 Plan sometimes feels like playing a game of “Whack-a-Mole” – resolve one issue, and another one pops up screaming for attention.
You work hard to ensure that your student is getting the best possible education, with a full array of appropriate supports and services, and it’s not easy. Sometimes, schools balk at setting up an IEP or 504 Plan. Other times, a student’s IEP or 504 just isn’t working. And, often, what worked last year is no longer leveling the playing field. When you add in related problems, like schools refusing to evaluate students with suspected disabilities or doing poor evaluations that don’t pinpoint what a student needs to succeed, things get even more complicated.
The IDEA (which provides for IEPs) and Section 504 share many similarities, but they also differ in a number of important ways. Parents need to have a firm understanding of each of these two avenues for school accommodations and services — and a roadmap for what to do when things don’t go right. Only when parents understand their legal rights, the provisions of these two laws, and when and where each is available, can they take the steps to help their child get what they need to succeed.
In this webinar, we will look at the top 10 issues that parents encounter with IEPs and 504 Plans. Parents will get answers to these common questions:
- How are an IEP and a 504 Plan similar — and different?
- How can I get the school to evaluate my child?
- Which program is best for my child?
- What can I do if my child’s IEP or 504 Plan isn’t working?
- What if my child has a teacher who is not following their IEP or 504 Plan?
- How can I make sure the school sets the right goals for my child’s education?
- And how will those goals be measured?
- What kind of accommodations and supports can I expect from each law?
- Do IEPs and 504 Plans apply to students in private schools?
- How can I decide which of these laws can best help my child?