Here at the Daily Dawg we tell you about many disputes between school districts and parents over what happened at an ARD meeting. The law requires that schools solicit and value parental input. It does not require that schools defer to parental preferences. When parents come away from the meeting feeling that they weren’t heard, they may turn to the law for a remedy.
Here’s a succinct quote from a 5th Circuit case that I think properly places this issue in the right perspective:
Absent any evidence of bad faith exclusion of the parents or refusal to listen to or consider the [parents’] input, [a school district] has met IDEA requirements with respect to parental input.
That’s not too hard of a standard to satisfy. Solicit. Listen. Treat parent input as important, because it is. Give it thoughtful and careful consideration. That’s all that is required.
That quote comes from White v. Ascension Parish School Board, 343 F.3d 373, 380 (5th Cir. 2003).
DAWG BONE: SCHOOL LAWYERS SHOULD REMEMBER THAT QUOTE TOO.
Got a question or comment for the Dawg? Let me hear from you at jwalsh@wabsa.com.