Special Education

Parent's Guide to Individual Education Planning

IV. The Parent's Role in Planning the IEP

What are parents' rights and responsibilities in their child's education?

Before the IEP planning takes place, you may find it helpful to know the legislation that governs the role of parents in IEP planning.

Parent's rights in the School Act

BC School Act , Section 7 states

(1) A parent of a student of school age attending a school is entitled:

to be informed, in accordance with the orders of the Minister, of the student's attendance, behavior and progress in school,
to examine records,
to be consulted regarding student placement,
to be consulted in preparation of the student's IEP,
to appeal decisions made by an employee of the board which significantly affect the education, health, or safety of a student (school boards are required to establish an appeal process),
on request, to annual reports respecting general effectiveness of educational programs in the school district, and
to belong to a parents' advisory council established in accordance with the School Act.

(2) A parent of a student of school age attending a school may, and at the request of a teacher or administrative officer is required to, consult with the teacher or administrative officer with respect to the student's educational program.

The obligations of school boards

The Special Needs Order states

(2) A board must ensure that an administrative officer offers to consult with a parent of a student with special needs regarding the placement of that student in an educational program.

The Individual Education Plan Order states

2. (1) A board must ensure that an IEP is designed for a student with special needs as soon as practical after the student is so identified by the board.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply where

the student with special needs requires no adaptation or only minor adaptations to educational materials, or instructional or assessment methods,
the expected learning outcomes established by the applicable educational program guide have not been modified for the student with special needs, and
the student with special needs requires in a school year, 15 hours or less remedial instruction, by a person other than the classroom teacher, in order for the student to meet the expected learning outcomes referred to in paragraph (b).

5. Where a board is required to provide an IEP for a student under Section 2..., the board must offer each student with special needs ... learning activities in accordance with the IEP designed for that student.

How can parents support IEP planning?

You have a wealth of knowledge and experience with your child which is valuable in developing IEPs. This knowledge will assist in answering a fundamental question: What skills are most important for my child to develop in order to enhance his life now and in the future? ⁵

⁵ Ministry of Education, Province of British Columbia. Students with Intellectual Disabilities. A Resource Guide for Students.

Once all the assessment information about a student has been gathered from parents, teachers, and others who have observed and assessed the student, the development of the IEP begins. You can contribute valuable information to support the planning process:

family history, medical history, and health care needs;
a description of your child's strengths, needs, and wants, including all social, educational, physical and emotional aspects;
a description of what you want your child to learn, outlining short-term and long-term goals;
supporting documents that might be helpful, including photographs that demonstrate your child's home life showing skills or interests, or samples of past school work;
methods that have been successful for communicating with your child at home, or ideas for the strategies that could help support the teacher in the school setting;
comments and feelings about any strategies or situations you think are appropriate and beneficial for your child;
comments and feelings about those strategies and situations you think are questionable or problematical for your child; or
information about other community services or after-school and other caregivers which impact on your child's life.

Families have a right to privacy about matters that have no bearing on the child at school. However, it is important that parents provide information that is likely to impact on the health, safety, or well-being of their child while he is at school. It could help school personnel to understand and better support him as he learns and develops positive feelings about himself and others. You can also be instrumental in helping your child understand that the IEP also involves student responsibility and cooperation. You have a right to expect that any information they provide will be shared on a need-to-know basis only.

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