Building a special ed case: The IEP balancing act in MN schools

This is the second in a two-part series from Minnesota News Connection on the complex and sometimes challenging path for parents when seeking special education services for their child. Read part one here.

Imagine seeing your child struggle with school issues, but educators cannot see it. It can occur for households seeking special education services as Minnesota districts and parents work through unique cases.

Individualized Education Programs are a key tool K-12 schools use when meeting the learning needs of students with disabilities such as autism or speech and hearing impairments. Federal law mandates IEPs, but a medical diagnosis does not lead to automatic approval, with negative effects on learning or social skills also required.

Todd Tetzlaff, human resources director for North Branch Area Public Schools, said what is playing out at home might be different from what is happening in the classroom.

"The child is very distracted, off-task," Tetzlaff explained. "But then at school, they're gathering data and they're looking at it (saying), 'Boy, the kid's assignment completion rate is 95%.'"

Some parents contended at-home concerns warrant formal services out of fear things will quickly spiral in the classroom. Tetzlaff pointed out they do not want to be premature in putting a child under the special education umbrella. He reminded families to request new evaluations if things change, with fewer steps needed if it happens within 12 months.

Educators and parents said cases are becoming more complex with multiple conditions and, in rare situations, families making full use of the Alternative Dispute Resolution process.

In the past decade, North Branch saw its special-education population increase by nearly five percentage points. Officials said recently, they have only had two cases require conciliation conferences involving the district, with compromises reached.

Mia Paulsen, a parent from Elk River, went the conciliation conference route for her autistic son, who got help with an IEP. She said things were great when he was younger, but when switching to online learning in high school, the family encountered staffing and service inconsistencies.

"It took a huge emotional toll on his mental health for ninth, 10th and 11th grade(s)," Paulsen recounted. "There were many times I wanted to give up because it was such a hard fight."

Paulsen stressed they persevered as they sought additional resources and after a school change, her son graduated on a strong note. Unlike some other rare cases, the Paulsens did not pursue mediation, but they are part of a network of families sharing tips, so households with few resources know where to turn.

John Weekley, director of special education for the Sherburne and Northern Wright Special Education Cooperative, which covers districts like Becker, said when disagreements emerge, they try to emphasize having a single point of contact, so families avoid communication issues, but acknowledged there still can be challenges. He emphasized they are heavily focused on staff development.

"Last year was a more difficult year in regard to having people that have the proper licensure for certain areas," Weekley observed. "There was just such competition."

Weekley added this year, they are in better shape staffing-wise, hopefully easing any pressure as they try to create efficiencies for parents and students undertaking the special education journey.