Running Heading: Advocating: Helping Parents so They Can Help You

Advocating: Helping Parents So They Can Help You

Angela Disley
University of St. Thomas
Date?

When it a person decides to step into a profession where they will be a

role model to those younger than them, they take on more responsibilities

Running Heading: Advocating: Helping Parents so They Can Help You

than just their job title.

Educators take on several tasks wear many hats

every day such as multitasking, advocating, and teaching all day long. One
of the most important responsibilities that educators have besides teaching
the future of America, is teaching the parents.

Society also has a

responsibility to protect the rights of children and to support parents in

ensuring these rights. (Miller, Colebrook, and Ellis p.12)

Teaching the

parents how to help their student children and be a member of society that
will protect the rights of their children. Advocating from the classroom can
only go so far, so teaching parents how to advocate for their students
children will help them as well as to help he the teachers provide
opportunities for growth and learning. Parents need to be armed with good,
current information and the right information, on how the laws are stated,
and why they need to advocate for their children daily.
Parents are always the teachers first source of information when it
comes to their child. student. The parent knows the "how" the student will
react to new situations, to new people, and to know how to support their
child in those situations.

Advocating for your child is a daily battle and

parents can only become stronger when guided by the teacher. student only
strengthens their battle as a family.

The best information a parent can have

and know is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and school
districts policy. When a parent has the right information and the right tools
they can be an asset to their child student and to the teacher.

Without

these details, the parents cannot make an informed decision; they cannot

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know if their child is getting an appropriate education. (Heitin, p48)

parent has the right to give their child an education no matter what their
childs disability is.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

IDEA gives this right to the parents this right! All children and youth with
disabilities, regardless of the severity of their disability, will receive a Free
Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) at public expense. (Horne, R. L., &
National Information Center for Children and Youth with Handicaps, W. D.,
p15) This can be explained to the parents that no matter how slight the
disability is you their child will and can be educated in the public school. On
the flip side of that, if the child has a serve disability they can still be
educated in the public school.

Under the IDEA law it also states that the

students will be provided with all the related services that the student
qualifies for under the special education services.

Children and youth

receiving special education have the right to receive the related services
necessary to benefit from special education instruction. (Horne, R. L., &
National Information Center for Children and Youth with Handicaps, W. D.,
p15)

Related service could be anything from transportation to physical

therapy to having transportation to school. Parents have the right to know

and be a part of any decision that is being made with their child within the
public school under the laws of IDEA. Providing parents with the knowledge
of their rights and what they can do helps their child allows the teacher to be
a stronger advocate from the classroom. Working together helps the student
grow at school and at home.

Running Heading: Advocating: Helping Parents so They Can Help You

It is always best to understand and know exactly what the rights of

your child are and how exactly things can play out in the classroom.

FAPE

was designed more than 20 years ago, so there have been many changes to
the laws and even to education in general.

In an article, A New IDEA: A

Parent's Guide to the Changes in Special Education Law for Children with
Disabilities, written by Tammy Seltzer, she talks about all the changes to
IDEA, words to know, and ways to protect your childs education.

IDEA

protects the education of your child but it also gives you many rights as the
parent. For example, under the IDEA law it states, Schools have to: ask
parents' permission to evaluate their child for special education, include
parents in the process of developing their child's IEP, give parents notice of
any changes the school wants to make in their child's educational
placement, and give parents the chance to appeal any school decision
affecting their child's education.(Seltzer, T., & Bazelon Center for Mental
Health Law, W. D., p5) This protects the parents and their child but gives
both of them rights to receive or refuse anything from the district. At any
time the parent can request testing for their child
district.

your student from the

and in In most districts By law, in most district, the will a the

deadline for testing is of 30 school days. If the school is requesting testing

of your child student they must now always ask permission, Until the law
was changed, schools had to get parents' permission before the initial
evaluation. Now schools must get parents' permission before performing any
evaluation, not just the initial one.( Seltzer, T., & Bazelon Center for Mental

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Health Law, W. D., p7) Not only does the IDEA state how to be involved, how
to get permission for testing, but it also lays out who should be on the
Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) team. When parents know exactly how
the law is stated they are armed with knowledge. As stated for many years
Just like the saying, "Knowledge is Power".
There is never a reason not to advocate for a your child and to have
the knowledge of how to advocate is the parents power to be able a strong
advocate. Knowledge of the language and intention of the laws empowers
families to advocate more effectively for their children and strengthens their
ability to participate fully as partners in their children's educational teams.
(Horne, R. L., & National Information Center for Children and Youth with
Handicaps, W. D., p3) There are many reasons to advocate for students on
campus, for your student, or even a friend or family member. Some reasons
for advocacy are:

services for a student child, testing for your child,

evaluation for eligibility, and many other reasons.

Educating parents to

know how to fight for their student child and how to advocate for their rights
in the classroom helps the teacher in the classroom. Knowledge of the laws
can help parents and professionals work together on behalf of children to
make the equal education opportunity guaranteed by law reality (Horne, R.
L., & National Information Center for Children and Youth with Handicaps, W.
D., p4) Anytime that the parents and teachers can work together for the
educational purpose of the student, the student will make gains in the
classroom. It is always in favor for of the student when the parents have the

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knowledge of the laws, resources available to them for help, and understand
their rights as a family.
A teacher will always advocate for their students. A teacher is always a
student learning and researching changes in the laws and ways to support
the students in the classroom. and is always learning, no matter the subject.
The same is goes for a parent when they a their child is in any educational
setting, school no matter if that child is whether in special education or not.
The parent should always want the best for the child and know the laws, how
the laws are stated and when to advocate for the child is the best way to get
the best education for their child.

A good advocate will not mimic your

point of view or embrace it without thinking about your position. A good

advocate will place your child first. (Heitin, R. C., p47)
Reference Page
Heitin, R. C. (2013). Advocating for Children and Their Families within the
School System: Reflections of a Long-Time Special Education
Advocate. Odyssey: New Directions In Deaf Education, 1444-47. (1)
Horne, R. L., & National Information Center for Children and Youth with
Handicaps, W. D. (1996). The Education of Children and Youth with
Special Needs: What Do the Laws Say? Interim Update. NICHCY News
Digest (4)
Miller, G. E., Colebrook, J., & Ellis, B. R. (2014). Advocating for the Rights of
the Child through Family-School Collaboration. Journal Of Educational &
Psychological Consultation, 24(1), 10-27. (5)
Rider, M., & Ward, C. (2010). Advocating for Your Child's Education: What You
Need to Know. Odyssey: New Directions In Deaf Education, 11(1), 1519. (2)
Seltzer, T., & Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, W. D. (1998). A New
IDEA: A Parent's Guide to the Changes in Special Education Law for
Children with Disabilities. (3)

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