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A very important rule to remember is to document everything from the beginning of the process.
When the first letter is sent to Director of Special Education services requesting that the child be evaluated for special education services (or a 504 plan), keep a dated copy.
A notebook or file folder can be used that contains dividers labeled "evaluations"; "IEP's", "teacher's notes", "discipline", "regulations", "telephone contact", "regulations", etc. I have been to meetings where the parent was mistaken as being one of the teachers or evaluators because of the extremely complete file or notebook they were carrying. This can also significantly assist you in being organized. It is not unusual to be at a meeting when a certain document is required and the parent who has her child's notebook is the only one able to provide the needed document.
Suggestions for categories of information to include are:
Make sure everything is dated and include copies of state regulations that you have highlighted for quick reference.
It can also be very effective to use a notebook that has a plastic sleeve over the outside. You can use this as a place to put pictures of your child so that people at meetings may have a visual of who your child is.
For additional general special education resources visit the IDEA Practices Website: www.ideapractices.org and www.fape.org
©2007 Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc. 42-40 Bell Boulevard / Bayside NY 11361 / 718-224-2999