The Ties that Bind: IDEA, IEPs, and Paperwork

Three rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

                                                - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, 1954

One of the most boring, yet necessary things that a parent or professional must deal with in special education is paperwork.  Who enjoys going through page after page of forms, check boxes, notes, and documentation?  No one I know.  Yet the whole of the IEP process, and all of the guidance that comes out of IDEA is wrapped and infused with paperwork.  The truth is there is nothing you can do about it.  It is endemic, and it is necessary.

Throughout the whole of special education, IDEA, and the IEP, one overarching requirement flows through all their processes.  That is paperwork.  Why?  The answer is simple.  There is an unwritten rule that appears nowhere in the law, but sits over all these processes and binds them all together.  That rule is; if it isn’t written down, it did not happen.  This paperwork, you see, is the ring that binds the whole process together.

Fortunately, unlike the One Ring in the Lord of the Rings trilogy by Tolkien, there is no mountain of fire to cast it all into, even though we might like to do so.  This paperwork, while time consuming, boring, and sometimes frustrating, is not evil, but an important necessity.  This paperwork does bind everything together, and binds things together in ways that will benefit the child to which it is tied.  You see, that paperwork holds immense power to those who know how to wield it, to help make those special education services effective and successful for that child. 

Remember, if it isn’t written down, it did not happen.  What is documented in the IEP, what is written down, is very powerful.  What all participants in the process must understand is that the IEP is the guiding document for all the educational and functional services a child will receive from the school district. The IEP is, for all intents, a functional legal document.  In a dispute, what is written here will have a major impact on that dispute’s resolution.  If the IEP is well-written and clear, all members of the IEP team, from parents to district personnel will know and understand how the special education puzzle should be fit together for this particular child.  However, if poorly written, or if the IEP does not accurately document information about the child or the services to be provided, or is vague, then it can open doors to confusion, misunderstanding and conflict. 

Just taking that little bit of extra time to ensure you have a clear understanding and written description of the child’s disability or disabilities, the current level of performance, educational needs and the supports that go into providing those needs, measurable goals, how progress will be measured, and a host of other elements will go a long way to making the IEP process and IDEA a success for that child, the parents, and for the district. 

Outside of the IEP, good documentation is critical as well.  Are there pieces of information from doctors or others outside the existing school district?  If so, remember that the district cannot consider what can often be highly technical information on just an assurance that it occurred.  Instead, documentation is needed from those outside entities.  Something that can go into the files and be assessed equally by all participants and retained for long-term evaluation over the years a child will be in the Exceptional Student Education and will be covered by IDEA is essential to keep the processes moving forward smoothly.

The truth is that this topic is one that can be discussed for hours, and it is a topic that any person knowledgeable about IDEA and IEPs understands is essential to make the process work effectively.  Paperwork is the fuel that feeds the process and also what binds it together.

Remember, if it isn’t written down, it did not happen.  Also, take that extra time to make sure that information is written clearly, so all parties understand what the written words mean and how they are being applied to the IEP process.  Keep your records, organize them. You would be surprised how often a misunderstanding 6 months down the road after an IEP can be cleared up simply by referring to well organized and documented paperwork.    The bottom line is that it is important and a little extra time now may save a lot of time and headache later.

You see, if you make sure things are written down, you will have your ring of power.  Except there will be 3 of them, and they will be sandwiched inside a binder….