Parents’ Rights in the Educational Process
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Parents Have Specific Rights
When IDEA was written, legislators who drafted it considered parent participation in the education of their child with a disability so important that they included in the law specific rights and responsibilities for parents. First, parents were given very specific rights with regard to the IEP process.
Parents have the right…
- To receive written notice of the time and place of the meeting and who will participate.
- To have the meeting scheduled at a time and place convenient to you and agreeable to all participants.
- To attend the meeting and invite others to attend.
- To present information and participate as an equal member of the team.
- To have an interpreter present at the meeting, if one is necessary.
- To receive a copy of the IEP document, if requested.
- To have the IEP reviewed annually.
- To have the IEP implemented as soon as possible.
Parents’ Rights and Responsibilities Related to Their Child’s Education
In addition to parents’ rights relative to the IEP, parents have additional, more general rights with regard to their child’s educational program and the parents’ relationship with the school. With these rights also come responsibilities.
Parents have…
- The right to information about their child and their child’s program, and the responsibility for seeking and maintaining this information.
- The right to review their child’s records and the responsibility for asking questions when they do not understand terms or reports.
- The right to be a full partner in their child’s program and the responsibility for becoming and remaining an active member of the team.
- The right to stand up for their child to make sure he or she gets the services needed and the responsibility to base their actions on accurate information.
- The right to make suggestions and recommendations about their child’s program or services and the responsibility for doing so.
- The right to a vision for their child’s future and the responsibility for helping their child achieve it.
It is clear from these rights and responsibilities that parents are expected to participate fully in their child’s education, be fully informed about his or her needs, advocate to see that these needs are met, and base any actions on complete and accurate information.