LRP Media Group, a recognized leader in the special education publishing industry, has released the pamphlet Strategies and Requirements for Obtaining Informed Parental Consent Under the IDEA. Now more than ever, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, districts need to understand when and how they must obtain consent and the legal ramifications of failing to do so. The pamphlet explains the legal requirements for obtaining informed consent prior to evaluating students with disabilities, conducting reevaluations, initiating special education services, and taking other actions that require a parent’s formal approval. Using case-based illustrations, the book identifies educators’ most common mistakes when seeking consent and how to avoid them, as well as practical strategies for effectively communicating with parents concerning proposed activities.
In addition to an in-depth explanation of the law surrounding parental consent, the book includes a variety of checklists and sample forms and charts districts can use when seeking and memorializing their attempts to obtain consent.
Readers will learn how to:
- Document reasonable efforts to obtain a parent’s consent.
- Obtain consent electronically or through other alternative means when an in-person meeting isn’t possible due to emergency school closures.
- Identify when a reevaluation may be conducted without consent or a due process hearing.
- Convince a hearing officer that an evaluation or reevaluation should proceed even though the parent isn’t consenting to it.
- Identify why a parent is hesitant or refusing to consent.
- Explain to a parent why an evaluation or other proposed activity will benefit a student, so as to encourage the parent to consent.
Strategies and Requirements for Obtaining Informed Parental Consent Under the IDEA is available for purchase from LRP Publications’ online store.
