Special Education FAQ's

The first step is to contact your child’s teacher or the school psychologist to discuss your concerns.  It may be recommended that a Student Study Team (SST) meeting be held in order to discuss your child’s strengths and the areas  of concern.   Depending  on the discussion of the SST team general education interventions, a 504 plan, or an assessment for special education may be recommended.

Referrals for special education can be made by school staff or parents. Prior to referral for special education, the District is legally mandated to document that the student’s educational needs cannot be successfully met through the support and adjustment of the general education program.

Once the request for a special education assessment is made, an Assessment Plan must be developed within FIFTEEN (15) DAYS of the referral date.

IEP stands for Individualized Education Program. The IEP is a legally binding contract of services provided by a school district for children who are identified with a disability and qualify for special education services.  The IEP will address the student’s strengths, areas of needs, and necessary accommodations, modifications, goals, services and placement.

IUSD offers a continuum of services within our District as defined by the Individual With Disabilities Education ACT (IDEA). Depending on the child’s disability and areas of deficit, services may include Specialized Academic Instruction, Speech and Language, Adaptive Physical Education, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, etc…   Once the IEP team determines and agrees upon services and placement the team will discuss where and how often those services can best be implemented.

The IEP Team meets to review the student’s performance annually to determine progress and plan for the upcoming year. A reevaluation of the student’s program is completed every three years, unless both the parents and district agree that it is not required. The IEP team may also meet at other times to discuss new concerns that have arisen.

The IEP team includes the following members:

• Parent
• Student (when appropriate)
• General education teacher
• Special education teacher
• Administrator
• Assessors (when an assessment has been completed)
• Other services providers, as appropriate.

Parents may also invite outside participants who can assist with the development of the IEP.

1. Determine and locate your neighborhood school based on your address of residence,
2. Create online web enrollment by registering your student.
3. Gather the IEP and residency verification documents.
4. Once you have assembled the required documents, you'll need to finish residency verification. This must be done at one of two locations, depending on the time of year:
   • During the regular school year Mid-August to June - Please schedule an appointment with your neighborhood school.
   • During the summer months - please contact SpecialEd@iusd.org.