Student Advocacy Michigan

09/13/2026

Two weeks left to book the Back-to-School Special before the September 30 deadline. A focused review of your child's IEP or 504 Plan, a written summary with real recommendations, and a consultation — $300. Link in comments to learn more.

09/12/2026

The annual IEP meeting is the most well-known point of contact in the special education process. But it is not the only time you are entitled to information.

Throughout the school year, you have the right to periodic progress reports on your child's IEP goals. Under federal law, parents must receive progress reports at least as often as parents of non-disabled students receive report cards — typically quarterly. These reports must tell you whether your child is on track to meet their annual goals by the end of the IEP period.

You also have the right to request a meeting with your child's IEP team at any time if you have concerns that cannot wait for a scheduled meeting.

You have the right to access your child's educational records upon request, including any new evaluation data or documentation generated after the last IEP meeting.

And you have the right to be notified before the school makes any proposed change to your child's identification, evaluation, placement, or services — even between annual meetings.

If you are going months without any communication about your child's progress on IEP goals, you are not getting what you are entitled to. Contact the case manager in writing and request your most recent progress reports.

This reflects federal law under IDEA.

09/11/2026

Many students carry two sets of documents: records from their school and records from their outside mental health providers. And in many cases, these two systems barely talk to each other.

A student can have a diagnosis of anxiety, depression, or ADHD from an outside provider and an IEP that never fully reflects how that condition affects their school experience. The IEP team may know a diagnosis exists but never integrate what the outside provider knows into the educational plan.

This is a gap worth closing.

If your child has an outside therapist, psychiatrist, or psychologist, consider asking them to provide a written summary of how they see the student's condition affecting their school functioning. This is something outside providers can often do in the form of a letter or clinical note. It does not require them to attend the IEP meeting. It just gives the team clinical context that the school's evaluation may not have captured.

You can share that documentation with the IEP team in writing before the meeting and ask that it be considered in the eligibility or program discussion.

Schools and outside providers serving the same child should be working from the same picture. As the parent, you are often the one who has to bridge that gap.

09/10/2026

This morning started with a REED meeting. People often ask me: what even is that?

REED = Review of Existing Evaluation Data.

It's the meeting where the team looks at everything we already know about a student and figures out what additional data is needed to build an appropriate IEP or BIP (Behavior Intervention Plan).

When does a REED happen?

When you request an initial IEP evaluation (Michigan schools have 10 school days to respond and schedule)
When an existing IEP is due for reevaluation
When you request an FBA (Functional Behavior Assessment) to develop a BIP

In Michigan, this is usually a live meeting with IEP team members and related service providers — though sometimes it's handled through a written/email exchange instead. Either way, the goal is the same: build an evaluation plan.

What happens at the meeting? The team pulls together all existing data for discussion — grades, behavior info, screening results, teacher/provider input, standardized testing, outside private evaluations, and more.

Parents are asked for their concerns too, so come prepared! Have your concerns and the areas you want evaluated written down in advance.

From there, the team builds a formal evaluation plan, lists the areas to be assessed, and asks for your consent. Once you consent, the clock starts:

📍 Michigan: 30 school days to complete evaluations
📍 Federal (IDEA): 60 calendar days
📍 Other states: check your local timelines — they vary!

What happens after? Once evaluations are complete, the team meets again to review the results, determine eligibility, and (if the child qualifies) write the IEP.

Bottom line: The REED is one of the most important steps in the IEP process. Walk in prepared — know your concerns and name the areas you believe your child needs evaluated. Remember: IDEA guarantees the right to a comprehensive evaluation in all areas of suspected disability.

09/10/2026

The school year has been underway for a few weeks now. For some families, things are going reasonably well. For others, the cracks showed up early and the year already feels like it is getting away from them.

If you are in that second group, I want to say something clearly: there is still time. September is not October. October is not December. Every week you address a problem is a week earlier than next week.

Here is what I recommend if you are already feeling behind.

Write down exactly what is not working. Be specific. Not the IEP is not working — which services are not being provided? Which goals seem wrong? What is your child telling you? What are you observing at home? Specific, documented concerns are something you can act on.

Send an email to the case manager this week. Do not wait for a meeting to materialize. Put your specific concerns in writing and ask for a response. That email starts the record.

Request a meeting if the concerns are significant. You have the right to request one at any time.

You do not have to have all the answers before you raise a concern. You just have to start.

09/10/2026

I am sharing this survey for a friend in need of data/information regarding direct caregiver compensation and employment. It is often hard for families with disabled children/adults to find paid caregivers. This information will be helpful for those in this situation. If you are a paraprofessional, potential caregiver or related, please take a minute to help and complete the survey. Please share with others you know that it may be applicable to.

Thank you! It takes a community for support!

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey to add insight to our current open position.

09/09/2026

A mom reached out about her son who had an IEP for anxiety and emotional impairment. He was in sixth grade. For two years, she had been asking the school to add counseling services to his IEP. Each time, she was told that counseling was a clinical service, not an educational one, and that the school was not in the business of providing therapy.

This was an incomplete and potentially inaccurate response.

Counseling services are listed as a related service under IDEA. When a student's emotional or behavioral needs are affecting their ability to benefit from their special education program, counseling by a qualified school social worker, psychologist, or counselor can be an appropriate related service in the IEP.

The determination of whether counseling is needed as a related service is an IEP team decision based on the student's documented needs and the connection between those needs and educational performance — not a blanket policy about what schools do or do not provide.

Her son's emotional impairment was documented in his IEP. His anxiety was documented as affecting his school performance. The question of whether counseling was needed to help him benefit from his education should have been an individualized discussion, not a categorical refusal.

We requested that the team specifically address counseling as a potential related service at the next IEP meeting and bring data to support whatever determination was made.

Details changed to protect privacy.

09/08/2026

MYTH: Nothing can happen in an IEP meeting unless everyone agrees.

FACT: The IEP team does not operate by consensus. The school district has the legal authority to make educational decisions, even over parent objection. But that does not mean your input, your disagreement, or your rights are irrelevant.

This is one of the most important things to understand about the IEP process. You are a required member of the team with meaningful rights. But the final authority for educational decisions rests with the school district.

What this means in practice: if you disagree with a decision and the school moves forward anyway, they are legally permitted to do so. But they must provide you with Prior Written Notice explaining the decision and the reasoning. You have the right to document your disagreement. You have the right to request mediation or due process. And if the decision violates your child's legal rights, you have options to challenge it.

Knowing this does not make disagreements less frustrating. But it changes how you prepare. When you know you may not get what you want in the meeting itself, you focus on documentation, on preserving your rights, and on knowing what your next steps are before you walk in the door.

This reflects federal law under IDEA.

09/07/2026

Related services are a category of supports that students with disabilities may be entitled to under their IEP when those supports are necessary for the student to benefit from their special education program.

The list of related services under IDEA includes speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychological services, counseling services, social work services, audiology, orientation and mobility services, school health services, transportation, and others.

The key phrase is necessary to benefit from special education. Related services are not available simply because a student might benefit from them in a general sense. They must be services the student needs in order to access their educational program effectively.

Here is what to look for when reviewing the related services section of the IEP.

Ask whether each listed service is connected to a specific need documented in the present level of performance. If the present level identifies a communication need, is speech-language therapy in the IEP? If the present level identifies a need related to fine motor skills affecting written expression, is occupational therapy being considered?

Ask whether any area of need documented in the evaluation has not been addressed with a corresponding service.

Ask whether the frequency and duration of each service is sufficient to allow the student to make meaningful progress on the goals associated with that service.

Related services matter. Make sure your child has the ones they need.

09/06/2026

Not every family I work with is in a fight with the school.

Some of them are. Some come to me because services have been denied, evaluations have been contested, or a situation has reached a point where they need formal advocacy support.

But a meaningful number of the families I work with are not in crisis. They just want to know if the IEP is right.

Their child is getting services. The school is responsive. The teachers seem caring. But something about the plan does not feel quite connected to what the child actually needs. The goals seem low. The progress data is vague. The accommodations look the same as they did three years ago. And the parent does not have the background to know whether their concern is legitimate or whether they are simply worried.

That is exactly the kind of conversation I am here for.

Sometimes I review an IEP and tell a family it looks reasonable for where the child is right now and here is what to watch for going forward. That is still useful. Sometimes I find something that needs to be addressed and we build a strategy around it. Either way, knowing is better than wondering.

If you want a professional set of eyes on your child's current IEP, learn more at the link in my bio.