Guidance on Admission, Review, and Dismissal Guide Production and Required Dissemination
(Parent's Guide)Ìýimplements Texas Education Code (TEC) Section 26.0081 requiring the TEA to create a comprehensive, easily understood document which explains the individualized education program (IEP) process for a student in a special education program. Additionally, theÌýParent's Guide incorporates a parents’ rights and responsibilities concerning the ARD process.
TheÌýParent's Guide contains information that parents need to effectively participate in an ARD committee meeting for their child. TheÌýParent's Guide is intended to be a companion document to, not a replacement for, the , which identifies parents’ rights and responsibilities in federal law. The purpose of theÌýParent's Guide is to create a common understanding for parents, school personnel, and communities of the IEP process for a student with disabilities.
TheÌýParent's Guide is a living document and is reviewed on a regular basis to reflect timely and accurate information. TheÌýParent's Guide contains a production date on the cover and in the footer of the document.
Dissemination
LEAs must provide the most current version of theÌýParent's Guide to parents of students with disabilities before the first ARD committee meeting or when a parent requests it. LEAs are responsible for the initial dissemination of theÌýParent's Guide; however, LEAs may provide updated versions to the parent when requested.
Documentation
TEA encourages schools to maintain a record of dissemination in the child’s eligibility folder in case of a compliance review through the State’s monitoring system.
Language Requirements
Currently, theÌýParent's Guide is available in English and Spanish only.
Production
Education service centers (ESCs) assist the State in the production of theÌýParent's Guide. However, if an ESC cannot provide copies to a local education agency (LEA), the LEA (school district or charter school) is responsible to produce and disseminate the current version of theÌýParent's Guide to parents available on the Region 18 Education Service Center's Legal Framework IDEA 2004 web site.
Technical Assistance
LEAs may contact their regional ESC for the most current copies of theÌýParent's Guide or produce their own copies for dissemination. Parents should contact their school district or charter school for a copy of updates to theÌýParent's Guide. Parents can contact the following Parent Resources to help with understanding the special education process or call the Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ's toll free Parent Information Line.
Parent Resources
Below are some additional parent resources:Ìý
- TheÌý (Families Information Resources Support and Training) is a project of TEA and with a commitment to provide accurate and consistent information to parents & families of students with disabilities.Ìý
- (PRN) is a non-profit agency that operates the statewide network of federally funded Parent Training and Information Centers (PTI's) in Texas. The programs and services of PRN are based on the concept of parents helping parents. The mission of PRN is to empower parents of children and youth with disabilities in their roles as parents, decision makers, and advocates for their children and to promote partnerships among parents and professionals.ÌýÌý