My son currently is in preschool on an IEP. I want to start homeschooling in the fall but his current teachers are pressuring me into placing him (gen Ed or special Ed) for kindergarten, even though I’ve told them I’d like to homeschool.
My question is has anyone pulled their child on an IEP? What has been your experience? I want to say we can homeschool and still get some help from his IEP through the district if needed. It breaks my heart that his teachers seem so against homeschooling. What to do, what to do…
I was wondering the same thing. I already plan on homeschooling my daughters all the way through high school, but my son will be a different story. He has down syndrome and will need extra help. I feel bad that his education will be different than his sisters, but it is what it is. If he could get the therapy from the district and get some help from them, but do most of his learning at home, that’d be great. I’ll following this post.
My 5 yr. old currently has an IEP but it is only for speech therapy. So far the therapists have been great to work with. He goes to the elementary school 2 times a week for therapy. So far there has been no issues regarding our homeschooling choice. Hope this may help!
That’s ideally what I would like to happen. My son also is speech delayed and I feel they can help him more than I know how. I have another meeting with his teachers in a few weeks. Sadly they were not too pleased once I mentioned I wanted to homeschool.
We are pulling my child (ds7)on an IEP for next year. He received speech, OT, resource teacher, and teacher of the deaf services this year. It depends on what state regulations are but we are going to use our health insurance to cover the speech and OT. That way we have more choice in what professional is working with ds. Also we will be moving to Maryland where homeschool students do not get IEP services. Look into your state guidelines and maybe contact your state homeschool organization for more info. Remember that it is Your choice and You know your child and his needs best.
An IEP (individualized education plan) is a federal document that has requirements that the school must meet. The homeschool version of that is a “service plan.” Each state is allowed to determine how they will address private school service plans. Many states include homeschoolers under the umbrella of “private school”. So the question is a loaded one. Depending on where you live, a state can choose NOT to recognize services for a homeschooled child who had an IEP prior to exiting public school.
We pulled our daughter out of school at the end of third grade. She had an active IEP and was receiving speech services through the school. Most of her day was spent in the special ed room, although there was some inclusion with the regular ed students. She needed more specialized intervention, but was further ahead than the other special ed kids so it was an awkward situation.
We had to fight to receive speech services. The HSLDA (home school legal defense association) usually recommends that parents obtain private speech/OT/PT services through insurance company. Often this is because the school doesn’t really provide “therapy” except as it impacts school/education/learning environment. And depending on the state, the child may no longer be eligible.
We did receive services. She has been getting speech once a week (we drive to school for it) and is doing well. We have the option to do private therapy, although I know that isn’t always the case.
This may sound harsh, but often, the school receives a lot of extra funding for special ed kids and they don’t want to lose those dollars. And there are teachers who feel they know better what the child needs, but YOU ARE HIS MOM and you know him better than anyone. The fact that you wrote “current teachers are pressuring me…” is pretty telling. You don’t have to give in. The HSLDA has special educators who can advise you on learning disabilities and how to address them. And how to document progress (because that is essential in some states where a child had an IEP).
You want to say you can still get help from IEP…but as I said above, the IEP dissolves once the child leaves the school system. A service plan takes its place and NOT every state will honor previous services offered. Make sure you know what you are going to get/not get if you decide to pull him. And know what options you have. Contact your state homeschool organization and if you don’t already have it, I’d recommend membership with HSLDA.
Thank you so much for your response and insight! I just need to stop second guessing myself and trust my instincts. He is my oldest and this is all uncharted territory for our family! Scary! Thanks again!
