Responsibilities of surrogate parents

A surrogate parent is only responsible for representing the child

when decisions about his/her special education program are made concerning:

• Identification of the need for the child to receive special education services

• Evaluation to determine his/her individual needs

• Design of his/her individualized education program, including placement

• Ongoing reviews of educational progress

• Disagreement with the school's educational proposals

In order to fulfill these responsibilities, the surrogate parent should learn about state and federal requirements for special education and about school district structure and procedures. The surrogate parent should also have an understanding of the pupil's disability and needs and have an ability to effectively advocate for the child.