HARTFORD, Conn.—Connecticut legislators are being asked to give parents more input in the way schools create education plans for students with special needs.
The legislature's education committee voted 28-4 this month to endorse a bill giving parents more information in the early stages of creating federally mandated Individualized Education Programs (IEP).
The bill now goes to the state Senate.
It guarantees parents the right to meet with educators before the district's team of specialists creates an individual program, not just afterward. Parents also would get copies of their children's assessments before meeting with those specialists.
Supporters say it gives parents more input, and more time to absorb and research the complicated information. Opponents say it adds paperwork and deadlines that could interfere with evaluation teams' work to compile high-quality plans.
