does scheduling an IEP meeting mean...

snydermom

I am in Cypress Tx and through the CyFair school district our early intervention preschool program is called PPCD. We hve done all evaluations through them and I have received our phone call scheduling an IEP meeting ad go over all evaluation reports. When the call came in I asked "if we are scheduling this meeting does that mean he is accepted into the PPCD program?" I was told that they "did not know and would be told at the IEP meeting".

So my question is does scheduling the IEP meeting generally mean that we will be receving services and they just can't give acceptance answers over the phone? If we were not accepted into the program and needed to go through private centers for services needed wouldn't that just be mailed to me? Anybody else that has been given this generic of responses through their local programs.

This is all still very new to my husband and I and I am in the process of getting books recommended by Auntie about IEP's to know what's expected, to be prepared, and make sure we are benefiting fully from our prepared IEP during this meeting.

Thanks for any and all input ladies.

macchiatto

Ditto on the eval reports you should receive ahead of time.

Ours were somewhat misleading though. It said our son was recommended for SN preschool, PT and OT. We really thought through and discussed all the logistics of what the schedule would be like, having our twins at separate preschools, etc. But when we got to the meeting, they said b/c his verbal and cognitive skills were on track, they didn't feel like the actual SN preschool program in our district would be a good fit for him so they suggested an itinerant SN preschool teacher for 1 hr/wk plus PT and OT provided in our home. We weren't expecting that at all--didn't know it was an option--so it did feel a little like a curveball and we weren't sure what to ask. It turned out OK (we scrambled to find a typical preschool that had room for both since we knew he really needed preschool; he was not interacting with peers at all) but I wished I had known that the report might be a little misleading.

CaptainSerious

I just have two things to add:

1) in my district, they usually try to schedule the IEP meeting directly after the eligibility meeting, so they often refer to it by the single name "IEP meeting;" and

2) try not to make assumptions based on the evaluations before the meeting, as you never know what they will say. My younger son scored literally in the lowest percent for almost ever category (entering Kindergarten), was recommended fly the physical therapist for PT services, and has a genetic disorder that puts him at high risk of having learning disabilities. We were sure they'd give him everything he needs. Instead, he was flatly denied an IEP and PT for the irrelevant reasons that he had not been educated in the US for six months (we adopted him from Peru) and the psychologist invalidated his evaluation results by translating an English test and administering it in Spanish rather than acquiring and administering a Spanish test (completely his choice and their mistake). My point is, go in prepared and, if they try to deny services for a reason you disagree with, be the strongest advocate you can, rather than being stunned into disbelief and silence as we were.