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Rochelle’s Special Education Tips
Knock Knock. Who’s There?
It is common knowledge that the essential members of the IEP team must be present at the IEP team meeting. This includes the special educator, general educator, a person who can make the financial commitment for the school system, an administrator who can supervise the implementation of the IEP, and as appropriate, related service providers. There should be a sign-in sheet for every meeting to record that the IEP team has fulfilled the requirement for having essential members present. But the sign-in sheet does not work if you cannot read the names of the persons who attended the IEP team meeting. The Case Manager needs to look at the sign-in sheet at the meeting and if a signature is illegible, print the name of the attendee. The sign-in sheet is important because sometimes the IEP document misses the name of an attendee. Or a mistake is made and the names of last year’s attendees are reprinted on this year’s IEP. Or the parent has brought advocates with her and you do not know their names to record their names on the first page of the IEP. Or, and unfortunately on rare occasions this has happened, a misguided person will fudge the holding of a meeting and when the file is audited, the proof of the wrong-doing is that the sign-in sheet was not signed by the persons who purportedly attended. Also, when a new meeting participant walks into the room after the meeting has started, make sure that person signs-in.
