{"id":5602,"date":"2023-10-08T08:49:57","date_gmt":"2023-10-08T12:49:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/?p=5602"},"modified":"2023-10-09T08:41:30","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T12:41:30","slug":"why-advocating-for-plain-language-ieps-is-vital-for-military-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/why-advocating-for-plain-language-ieps-is-vital-for-military-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Advocating for Plain Language IEPs is Vital for Military Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When introduced to the whirlwind of raising children with additional needs, parents often have to learn a different language to keep up. This language has an array of letters to help identify their neurodivergence \u2013 ASD, ADHD, ODD, OHI, CP, etc. Before having children, military life and our spouses formally introduce us to military jargon and an ever-expanding dictionary of acronyms. We encounter these languages within the vacuums of our lives \u2013 languages that our civilian friends can’t translate, and those with unaffected children rarely need to take the time to consider or learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what about the language in special education? How do we learn the acronyms and regulations within our children\u2019s education realm? And how does that language travel with our children throughout their educational careers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In medicine (and the military), experts set these acronyms in stone, backing them up with diagnostic manuals, standard operating procedures, and regulations that define them.When we venture into the world of special education, this is still somewhat true. Laws define acronyms like IDEA, LRE, and FAPE. But what happens when districts become involved and begin inserting their own language into our child\u2019s education program? And how does that affect a military child\u2019s continuity of education after a Permanent Change of Station (PCS)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Districts Enacting Specific Language<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Beginning in the 2022\/23 school year, Fort Campbell DoDEA schools started conducting special education compliance monitoring and self-assessments. Within this process, we identified several Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) that use what they consider “incorrect verbiage” such as ‘1:1,’ ‘one-to-one aide,’ or ‘continuous one-to-one adult support.’ Instead, administrators are attempting to replace each IEP\u2019s plain language reference with the term \u201cSupplemental Instructional Support (SIS)\u201d in its place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to DoDEA, they do not have a stand-alone policy defining a SIS. Instead, the Department of Defense Companion Manual (DoDM) 1342.12 references this term. While the manual does not define what exactly SIS entails, local district leadership defines it as follows: \u201cSupplemental Instructional Support can be provided by any adult that is working with the student(s) and providing \u2018instructional support.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being Our Child\u2019s Best Advocate – Trusting Our Intuition <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Call it a gut feeling, but something did not sit right with me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When my child’s IEP meeting took place in December 2022, I asked questions regarding the attempted change of this seemingly minor language swap. When I received genuine answers to my questions and still felt uneasy, I requested that we table the conversation to a future meeting because, ultimately, I was trying to determine how this change might affect my son in the future. Why, without data, or even a DoDM definition, would the district suddenly want to change language in every student\u2019s IEP that utilizes this so-called \u201cincorrect\u201d verbiage?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defining Supplemental Instructional Support<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I asked friends working in other districts across the country what their<\/em> definition of a SIS would be and their answers were shocking. It was abundantly clear in our conversations that this arbitrary language change at the hands of DoDEA would significantly alter the services a military-connected special education student would receive upon moving to a new duty station. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Special Education teacher in a public school district in Washington stated, \u201cWe use the term \u2018paraprofessional\u2019 or \u2018paraeducator.\u2019 SIS would mean something totally different in other states. I would not<\/em> give a student a para in Washington if they moved with that (in their IEP).\u201d A former principal in Nevada agreed, stating, \u201cThey want to write it loose so they can do what they want.\u201d When reaching out to an advocate, her response was rooted in practical application: start with what the language says, what the change in language is, and ask a handful of people to define both. Then show how those two definitions are not the same level of support\/service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our military-connected SPED kids deserve equal access to the supplementary aids and services within their IEP throughout each of the transitions they endure. Learning the different languages we are forced to absorb is good, but only when every interested party – both present and<\/em> future – understands the definitions and intentions behind the language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Searching for Precedent<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Armed with these examples, I set out to find additional data to push back on this change – knowing full well that future school districts would interpret this DoDEA specific language differently – ultimately affecting my child\u2019s educational progress. As a transient military-connected special education student, what verbiage is best, given our constant zig-zags across the world? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter every SPED Mom\u2019s best friend: Google. Through my research in determining if language truly does matter the way my gut (and educational connections) told me it did, I stumbled upon a court case: Howard G. v. State of Hawaii, Dep’t of Education<\/a>. By not definitively communicating within the IEP which services are provided by paraeducators, the Hawaii DOE became entangled in lengthy litigation, and the family ultimately prevailed. The ruling proves precise language is vital; the case cemented the use of clear language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cI\u201d in IEP<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Language in an IEP should always pass the \u201cstranger test.\u201d Just as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) intended, IEPs should be written in a way that someone unfamiliar with the IEP can understand and enforce it with fidelity. Specifically in the \u201cpost-Covid\u201d era we find ourselves in, with teacher shortages and a lack of substitutes, it\u2019s even more necessary now to ensure IEPs utilize basic language. More often than not, long-term substitutes and fill-ins are called in last minute, meaning they have little time to absorb the details within an IEP. Generic, yet clear terminology helps new\/unfamiliar school staff and enhances a parent\u2019s participation in meetings; especially if they are new to the IEP process and the unending array of SPED acronyms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must remember, as parents, that an IEP is an Individualized<\/em> Education Program. No single school district owns the language within our child\u2019s IEP – it is theirs and theirs alone. It becomes a part of their educational record, a record that travels with the student to each new district they attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When schools attempt to box our kids in with their own flowery language, what they are really doing is muddying the waters and allowing for vague interpretations of what a child requires to succeed in the least restrictive environment. Requiring district-specific language is the opposite of what the IDEA intends, and places our child in a district-specific box that takes out the \u201cI\u201d in IEP. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Advocate for Plain Language<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As a parent, we are our child\u2019s best advocate, and we must learn to trust our gut instincts, especially when it comes to abrupt changes within our child\u2019s IEP. Furthermore, when changes are presented in meetings, make sure you\u2019re asking questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n