Jennifer Berry Principal Legal Memorandum Educational Law Dr.

Kevin Brady

Jennifer Berry, Principal Cook Corner Middle School 1234 Achievement Road Learning City, NC 27555 ATTN: Mrs. J RE: Change in Eligibility Category May 18, 2012 Dear Mrs. J, Thank you for your willingness to voice your concerns about your son, Billy. At our last IEP meeting, we discussed concerns that have arisen over Billys behaviors at school and at home as well as concerns regarding his most recent evaluation results. At this meeting, the IEP Team recommended changing Billys eligibility category from Specific Learning Disabled to Emotional Disturbance. I understand you are concerned about the amount of educational progress that Billy has made as well as the recommendation regarding changing his category of eligibility. At the end of the last meeting, no final decisions were made regarding a possible change in identification or how to address behavior concerns. Behaviorally, I am recommending that the IEP Team complete a Functional Behavior Analysis (FBA) on Billy in order to help identify the triggers and purposes of Billys behaviors and to use these results to complete a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP). This plan would be used to outline strategies that would be used with Billy to encourage more acceptable behaviors. The IEP Team also needs to consider having the guidance counselor work with Billy to build his self-awareness skills, to help him identify the causes of his emotions, and to find ways to express his emotions in a more acceptable manner. Academically, I would recommend that the IEP Team review Billys subtest performance scores on both the WISC and the Dunstan Darr Reading assessment in order to ensure that his IEP goals are aligned with his specific areas of deficit. As his principal, I will review his evaluation results and then research supports that exist within our district that could be used to meet his current academic needs that are not currently being utilized.

Jennifer Berry Principal Legal Memorandum Educational Law Dr. Kevin Brady

As for your concerns regarding his identification category, it is not necessary for his category of identification to be changed in order to address concerns regarding his behavior. However, the IEP Team will want to consider having the school psychologist complete a behavior and emotional evaluation in order to ensure that the school is adequately addressing Billys behavioral and emotional needs.

Please notify the school of the dates and times that you are available this month, so that we can convene Billys IEP Team within the next 30 days to plan how to adequately address Billys educational needs. If you should have any further concerns, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Jennifer Berry, Principal Cook Corner Middle School