Does Seattle Public Schools implement Individual Education Program (IEP) for students with special needs?

According to SPS, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written record of the special education services a student will receive for one calendar year. The organization and contents are highly standardized by law to maintain consistency from state to state and district to district. While the structure is standardized, the contents are suppose to be individualized to each student.

IEP implementation and maintenance is a repetitive cycle intended to grow and adapt with each individual student. The IEP start date is listed on the signature page of the IEP and this is when implementation begins. Once the IEP is completed, a team led by the case manager will provide the services and/or accommodations included in the document for one year until the next IEP is written.

Sounds good, but does it happen?  We have heard from many parents and professionals that Seattle Public Schools refuses to meaningfully implement IEP’s to the students and families detriment. Families often have to pay for their own health care providers to assess their children because the school refuses to.  And once armed with those assessments, families find that the school still refuses to engage around an IEP.

If this is happening to your child, please give us a call to discuss it.