Preparing for a school meeting

The surrogate parent's most important goal is helping to develop an appropriate educational program for the child. They must be prepared to work cooperatively with the professionals involved with the child's program.

To prepare they can:

• Know their rights and be prepared to participate actively.

• Review the child's most recent educational evaluation and request a copy of the results. The evaluation should be current and complete and the results explained so everyone understands the educational implications.

• Review the child's last individualized education program (IEP) to prepare for developing his or her next one, and review the last progress report on the child's goals or objectives.

• Think of a plan for regular communication with the school and keeping the child's county case manager informed.