Life, Love and LD

Life, Love and LD
Showing posts with label IPRC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IPRC. Show all posts

Saturday, June 7, 2014

What if I don't agree with the IPRC?

So you've had your IPRC meeting and you are unsure about how the IPRC personnel has identified your child, you don’t agree with the support plan for your child, or there is some other factor that you don’t agree with.  The IPRC will want you to sign the statement at the end of the meeting.  If you are unsure, you have the right to ask for more time to think about things.
If after thinking about the situation and you still do not agree with the IPRC, there are specific steps to follow.  As written on the People for Education website:
1.     If, after thinking about the IPRC decision, parents continue to disagree with it, then the parent can ask in writing to meet for a second time with the IPRC to consider the matter further. The request for the second meeting must be submitted within 15 days of the parent’s receipt of the original IPRC decision.
2.     If the parent feels that the second meeting was unsuccessful, or if the parent does not believe a second meeting with the IPRC would be helpful, the parent can ask that the decision of the IPRC be reviewed, by writing to the director of education of the school board requesting a meeting with a Special Education Appeal Board (SEAB). This request must be made within 30 days of the first IPRC decision, or within 15 days of notification of the outcome of the second IPRC meeting.
3.     The appeal board meeting must be held at a place and time convenient for the parents, and no later than 30 days after a chair of the appeal board has been selected. The appeal board must make its recommendation within three days of the meeting ending.
4.     If parents disagree with the appeal board decision they may apply to have their case heard by a provincial Special Education Tribunal.
5.     During the appeal process, the school or board cannot implement the placement decision made by the IPRC.
If things go this far, I would consider contacting your local Learning Disability Association Chapter as they may be able to give you some support, or point you to organizations that can offer support during the appeals process.

Good Luck! 

Sunday, May 18, 2014

What is an IPRC?

An IPRC is an Identification Placement and Review Committee.  This process formally identifies your child as exceptional as defined by the Ontario Ministry of Education.  The Ontario Ministry of Education has 5 broad categories for exceptional students:

  • Behaviour
  • Communication
  • Gifted
  • Mild Intellectual Disability
  • Multiple Exceptionalities 
Either a parent or a teacher can request an IPRC.  Often it is a joint decision and the meeting is formally requested by the school.  The purpose of the IPRC is to formally decide if your child should be identified as exceptional and to identify the child's area of exceptionality.  Additionally, the IPRC identifies a child's strengths and areas of need along with deciding the appropriate placement for a child.  Placement refers to how much time a child spends in a regular class, a special education class, if they have withdraw assistance or indirect or direct support within their classroom environment.  After your initial IPRC meeting, you will meet at least once per year with the IPRC to review identification and placement.

The IPRC usually consists of:
  • Parent (and a support person)
  • Student (usually if 16 years or older)
  • Classroom teacher
  • Principal or Vice Principal
  • A Board employee who's expertise is useful to the process and can share information such as a Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT)
The following websites are great resources for navigating the IPRC meeting: