Consulting Services for Resendez Advocacy

SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU: 

Review school records like grades and discipline and determine if your child could qualify for services to better support them in school

If your child is not doing well in school and not receiving passing grades it is a matter of concern. Sometimes this can be due to a need to learn study skills and other times it could be due to a disability or a need for interventions. 

Review your child’s 504 Plan or IEP to determine if goals and services are appropriate and make recommendations

When a student qualifies for a 504 Accommodation Plan or an IEP, documents are created to support the student. Sometimes that document does not appropriately address their needs. We can review those documents and hear your concerns and determine if you should request changes. 

Conduct a classroom observation of your child and give recommendations to share with the school 

Your child is not doing well in school, but you don’t understand why. We can observe your child in class and give recommendations to share with school personnel and request that they are added to an IEP/504 Plan document as appropriate. 

Explain and help you through the IEP assessment process

The IEP assessment process can be very confusing and filled with vocabulary that is difficult to understand. When assessment results are reviewed, many times parents are so overwhelmed with all the information, they do not ask questions and get clarification. We can help you prepare for the meeting so you know what to expect and have your thoughts collected, attend the meetings, and help you determine what is best for your child based on the testing results. 

Help you with a SST meeting and what you should expect

SST can be short for a variety of things that all mean the same thing. It can be Student Success Team, Student Study Team, Student Support Team, but no matter the name, it is a team of school personnel and the student’s parents who meet to discuss the strengths and areas of concern of a student. The team gathers input from the parents and education staff and then together they create a plan to support the student. The team typically meets again in a couple of months to follow up and determine if the plan was successful in supporting the student.

Help you write communication to the school regarding concerns you have regarding your child’s progress in school

Many times parents are uncertain how to communicate what they are concerned about and what they would like the school to do to support their child. We can help you write communication that uses the language and terms that the school personnel will understand and let you know what you should expect in response to your communication.

Explain the difference between a 504 Accommodation Plan and and IEP and help you work with the school to determine which is best for meeting your child’s needs

Sometimes parents are told that their child does not qualify for special education services (an IEP) but does qualify for a 504 Plan. These can be very appropriate for some students and the accommodations can support the needs of the student. We can help you interpret the assessment results to help you understand which is most appropriate for your child.

Help you work with the school if your child is being taken out of the classroom often due to behavior

Some students have a difficult time in the classroom and school staff will remove the student and have them work in the school office or another classroom. Unless this is in your child’s IEP, staff cannot do this as a regular practice. There are processes and requirements that the school must abide by in supporting your child.

Explain your rights if you child has been suspended frequently or expelled from school

School suspensions can only be for one of the offenses outlined in the Education Code and if a child has a disability there are required actions and timelines regarding suspensions and expulsions.

You have asked the school about testing your child for special education services and they have denied the request

We can help you in responding to a denial for special education testing of your child. The school should send you a notice regarding the reason for the denial and we can help you determine if that denial is appropriate and what your next steps should be.