Kelli Houston

EDAD 550

Case Study-Andrew
IRLF Question:
The Superintendent was not happy after receiving the letter from Ms. Stephens. He calls you
(the principal) and Mr. Collins (the special education director) to his office and asked that this
situation be resolved by utilizing the IEP process in a manner that would address the mothers
concerns in a fair manner as well as maintain the integrity of the special education rules.
Investigate
I know that we have been meeting with Ms. Stephens since May to discuss her sons
placement in kindergarten. I know that it was determined by the IEP team that Andrew would be
placed in a general education kindergarten classroom for the majority of the day with twenty
minutes of speech therapy four days a week and thirty minutes of special education each week. I
know that we stated Andrew would try kindergarten out at the beginning of the year, and we
would then evaluate how he is doing. I know that Andrew has had some challenges in
kindergarten so far this year. I know that the kindergarten teacher has been trying to work with
Andrew the best she can by explaining things individually to him. I also know that Andrew has a
language disability that affects his ability to perform individually in the classroom. I also know
that Andrew had a hard time completing the required speech-language screening and becomes
sad when he is having a difficult time. I know that Ms. Stephens requested to have an outside
psychologist observe Andrew in his classroom setting, and that I told her I felt it was too early
for an observation and that Andrew needed more time to adjust to his new setting.
A month after school started, the IEP team met again to discuss Andrews time in
kindergarten, as originally planned in May. Andrews teachers outlined some difficulties he has
had during this transition period, and I suggested that Andrews time in the special education
classroom be increased and be given more support from a classroom aide. Ms. Stephens did not
feel this increase was drastic enough, so I also suggested looking into a special education
program at another school. Ms. Stephens was open to this suggestion and agreed to observe this
setting. After Ms. Stephens observation, I told her to talk to me so we could set up another
meeting with the team. Ms. Stephens conducted her observation very quickly and requested
another meeting right away. Knowing that the other team members had very busy schedules, I
notified Ms. Stephens that it may be difficult to schedule another meeting soon, but that we
would work on getting one scheduled as soon as possible. Ms. Stephens was not pleased with
this information, so she decided to write a due process complaint. She would like to meet as a
team by Friday to discuss and implement a new placement for Andrew.
I will need to communicate with the other team members Ms. Stephenss concerns and
the fact that she would like to meet by Friday. Once I am informed on everyones schedule, I can
set a time for the meeting to make sure all team members can be present. In order to gather more
information on Andrew, I can talk to his current teachers to see what they feel Andrews biggest
needs are. I can also talk to Andrews former early childhood teachers to get a better perspective
on the strategies and methods they used for Andrew. I could also meet with Mr. Collins to get his
perspective on the situation. I need to know what all of our options are going into this meeting.
Even though I already know Ms. Stephenss perspective, I could talk with her again to try to
repair the relationship and assure her we have Andrews needs as our top priority. I could also
consult our legal counsel and inquire about what our next steps need to be and what we can do to
best resolve this situation so it does not escalate any further. I also need to make sure we are
following all of the laws set forth by IDEA. I can consult their website and also talk to other
experts to make sure everything we are doing is legal and best practice. I can also talk to other
principals to see if they have ever had a situation like this and what role they took to help solve
this type of problem.
The issues that I need to be concerned about are if our IEP team followed all of the
correct procedures and have upheld to do what we said we would do. Another issue is if we have
been following all of IDEAs laws and policies. There is also the issue of Andrew and making
sure we are fulfilling his needs and are always keeping his best interests in mind. We need to
make sure he is in a setting in which he can be successful and is helping to close the gap in his
delays. The due process complaint filed by Ms. Stephens is another issue. We need to make sure
this process does not proceed and try to come to an agreement that makes us all comfortable.
Reflect
Ms. Stephens is probably feeling very frustrated with this process and disappointed in
some members of the IEP team, especially with our school. She probably feels as though her
sons needs are not being met, and that we are not really listening to her. She probably feels like
she knows her son the best and knows what he needs and what the best placement would be for
him. She feels as though this is an urgent manner that needs to be resolved right away. She
knows her son and the frustrations he has been feeling. She knows he cannot continue on this
way much longer. Andrew is probably feeling very frustrated and sad that he is not doing well in
school. He hates school and does not want to go.
Ms. Mills and Ms. Tucker probably feel as though they are doing the best they can for
Andrew. They might be feeling hopeless and disappointed as well. They want Andrew to succeed
and they are trying to make him successful, but the methods they have been using so far have not
been very beneficial. They may feel like they need more time and that Andrew is still
transitioning into the way of doing things in kindergarten.
Mr. Collins may feel as though he has let the IEP team down. He may be disappointed or
frustrated that a parent decided to file a due process complaint. He might want to try to resolve
this situation as quickly as possible so it does not escalate into something bigger. He may be
worried about how Ms. Stephens feels about him and if she is dissatisfied in the services he has
provided. He may feel that the placement agreed upon is what is best for Andrew. He may feel
that he has a lot of knowledge and experience and is trying to do what is best for Andrew in the
long run.
 The superintendent is probably frustrated and disappointed that this situation escalated as
far as it did. He probably does not like to hear from parents that are dissatisfied with their
educational experience. He probably wants this situation resolved as quickly as possible before it
becomes an even bigger legal matter. He probably does not want the school district to get a bad
name and for people to think that there is something wrong with the special education
department.
I am feeling very sad that this situation has turned into this. I am sad that a parent is so
frustrated and does not feel like we are meeting the needs of her child. I am sad that my
relationship with this parent has been tarnished and that she is not pleased with how I have dealt
with this situation. I am sad for Andrew and the way he has been feeling. I want all of my
students to have a positive educational experience and enjoy coming to school. I am disappointed
in myself for letting this situation get out of hand. I should have been more attentive at the IEP
meetings. I should have tried to mediate between the special education director and Andrews
parents better. I should have consulted more resources to make sure I know the laws, policies,
and procedures that need to be followed.
Leverage
One option is to trust Mr. Collins and support his decision for Andrews best placement.
Mr. Collins is very knowledgeable in this area and has a lot of experience in placing children in
special education. I can trust that his decision is what would be best for Andrew. If I went with
this option, I would be showing that I have faith in our special education director and that I value
his opinion. Mr. Collins may be right about Andrew and that he just needs more time to adjust to
kindergarten, but that he will get the hang of it and be successful. A con to this decision is that
Ms. Stephens will probably not be pleased with Mr. Collinss decision. She will probably pull
Andrew from our school and feel as though we have not heard her. She may also go through with
the due process hearing and take legal action against the school.
Another option I could consider is following Ms. Stephenss requests and suggest that the
IEP team place Andrew in the early childhood special education program with integration in the
prekindergarten classroom. I know that Ms. Stephens knows her son really well, and knows what
his needs are and how his needs will best be met. If I went with this option, Ms. Stephens would
be satisfied and the due process hearing would not need to continue. There is also a chance that
this is the best option for Andrew and he will be successful in this placement. If I did go with this
situation, however, the rest of the IEP team might not be happy with it, and they may feel I dont
trust their judgement or have much faith in them. This decision might also hinder Andrew.
Another year in early childhood might fail to prepare him again for kindergarten, and he may
have just as difficult as a time next year. His educational needs might not get met, and his speech
disability might not improve.
Another option I have is to do nothing. There would not be any pros to this decision.
There would be many cons to this decision. The superintendent would be very dissatisfied with
me and I may be reprimanded for it. Ms. Stephens would follow through with the due process
hearing and the school district would be in big legal trouble. The teachers and special education
director would be disappointed in me that I did not work to bring the team together to try to
resolve this situation.
Another option is I could become as informed as much as I can and take this knowledge
to the IEP meeting, and try to find a compromise between what Ms. Stephens wants and what the
rest of the team wants. I could gather information from multiple resources. I could consult other
special education experts and principals. I could find similar situations and evaluate their
decisions and outcomes. I could read similar case studies. I could research best practices and
teaching methods. I could consult the early childhood teachers to gain more information on
Andrew and his needs. I could take all of this information to the meeting, share it with the others,
and we could use it to make the best decision. This option might be beneficial because the more
information we have, the easier it might be to reach an agreement. There may be research to back
up our reasons, and everyone might agree on the best option. The cons are that even after all of
this research, the team might still be unable to reach a compromise and will not be able to settle
anything.
Another option is to suggest a compromise. I could suggest that Andrew come to our
school for kindergarten in the morning and then go to the early childhood special education room
in the afternoon. This option might be beneficial for Andrew because he would still get a feel for
kindergarten but would not be overwhelmed with a full-day of it. He would then get more
individualized support in the afternoon in the early childhood program. This may not best
address Andrews needs. He may become too dependent on the early childhood program, or even
a half day in kindergarten may still be too much for him.
Frame
Once I learned of this situation from the superintendent, I would call everyone on the IEP
team and schedule a time for our next meeting as soon as possible. I would then call Ms.
Stephens and ask if she could come in to the school to talk with me. I would apologize for the
misunderstanding on my part and assure her that we are here for Andrew and want to do
everything in our power to make sure he has a positive educational experience. I would ask her if
the agreed upon date would work for her to meet with the IEP team to further discuss Andrews
placement. I would hope this would help smooth out our relationship and get it on track to being
more positive.
From that day until the meeting date, I would observe in Andrews kindergarten
classroom daily. I would look for positives and also see what areas could be improved upon. I
would call Ms. Stephens at the end of each day to report how Andrews day was and assure her
again that we truly care about Andrew. During these days I would also do some research to
gather as much information as possible that would be helpful for the meeting.
I would hold our IEP meeting in the kindergarten classroom, no later than Friday of that
week. I would make sure that each team member is present. I would have each team member
introduce themselves again. I would then ask Andrews teachers to share Andrews strengths and
what has been going well during his time in kindergarten. I would then ask Ms. Stephens to share
what her concerns are about Andrew and his placement. I would then restate what Ms.
Stephenss concerns are so that Ms. Stephens knows we are listening to her and value her
opinion. I would then outline the possible placement options we have to consider. The team
could also brainstorm any other possibilities. I would also share any new information I had that
may benefit the meeting and our decision making. I would also have Ms. Stephens share her
thoughts on the different options. I would ask Mr. Collins what his opinions are on each of the
placement options. I would ask them to justify their opinions and thoughts so everyone could
hear their reasons and concerns.
As a member of the team, I would suggest we try the placement option in which Andrew
attends kindergarten at our school for the first half of the day and then goes to the early
childhood special education class for the second half of the day. I would provide my reasons for
why I think this would be the right fit for Andrew. I would reference my research I did about
IDEA, Least Restrictive Environment, and best practices. I would ask all of the other team
members their thoughts on this option. If any member of the team was apprehensive about this
option, I would suggest we try it out for a certain period of time, say six weeks, and then meet to
reevaluate how Andrew is doing. I would reassure Ms. Stephens that I would be in open
communication with her at all times throughout the process. If Andrews situation and experience
did not improve, then I would listen to her, call an IEP meeting at her request, and we could
change Andrews placement again.
I find this compromise to be the best option to fit Andrews needs. Andrew is our first
priority, and all decisions the team makes should be centered around his success. I feel by
improving the relationship between myself and Ms. Stephens and by creating an open line of
communication, Ms. Stephens will find trust in us again and work cooperatively with us to best
meet the needs of her son.