IEP meeting excusals: When I was teaching I always cringed as other staff members asked to be excused from the rest of an IEP meeting. It was almost expected that the general education teachers would only stay for the first five minutes! While I understand that sometimes things come up, it’s important for all IEP team members to be on the same page and take ownership of the IEP that is developed. Parents have a right to request that all team members stay for the entirety of the meeting. A good way to make sure this happens is to voice this request to the administrator when you return your meeting notice; that way everyone can make the proper arrangements ahead of time.
