October 14, 2011

 BUT you still need to participate in IEP meetings in a well-documented, meaningful manner.

 When the parent and LEA agree that the attendance is not necessary because the member’s area of service isn’t being modified or discussed  Major change: The member’s absence needs to be documented on Member Excusal form  Include reason for absence  Minor change to service area that is not yours: No need to complete the Member Excusal form

 Here are your answers:  /lib/ /Making_Changes_to_the _IEP.pdf /lib/ /Making_Changes_to_the _IEP.pdf

If the parent and LEA consent to the excusal The member MUST submit, in writing, to the parent and team, input into the development of the IEP prior to the meeting.

 Use the Davis School District IEP Team Member Not Attending form  Best practice is to involve all relevant members of the IEP team whenever possible. Use the form SPARINGLY. When used, a copy needs to be sent to your supervisor at the district.  What does the form look like? What does the form look like?

 The parent has the right to consent or refuse consent for an IEP team member excusal.  It is not appropriate to request this consent at the scheduled meeting time.  Consent must be sought prior to the scheduled meeting time..  It is recommended that consent is obtained and written input is provided no less than 2 days prior to the meeting.

 The LEA designee  This team member is responsible for knowledge about the availability of resources of the LEA.  If a trained LEA designee cannot attend, the meeting must be re-scheduled for a time when an LEA is available.

 In limited cases, a TRAINED school counselor may act as an LEA Designee.

 Requirements for General Ed. Teacher attendance are listed on page 3 of the PIE “IEP Team Member Excusal” document  There are very limited circumstances in which a general education teacher is not required at an eligibility/IEP meeting.

 Excusal of more that 1 IEP team member is not recommended because it could deny parents their right to meaningfully participate in the IEP process.  If more than 1 team member cannot attend, the meeting should be re-scheduled.

 The team needs to identify a meeting date and time that all members of the team can be present.  Meetings need to include all members whenever possible.

 Date of submission of written statement of input into the development of the IEP.  This MUST be at least two days before the meeting  The input the excused member has to offer to the IEP.  The location the input is documented on the DRAFT IEP.  Goal area, service labels, times and freq., classroom and/or test modifications or accommodations

 A copy of the DRAFT IEP labeled DRAFT with the areas of documentation highlighted along with this explanation.  Attach all of the above documentation to the Member not Attending form and place in the student’s file with the IEP.

 Provide evidence of the student’s present level of functioning and academic performance.  Progress reports or an evaluation summary can support ending services.  Be sure to update progress reports to show achievement  Provide contact information to the parent

 Excusal of a team member is not intended to be a time saver.  Involvement in the IEP team meeting is often less time consuming than the excusal process.