Tips for Serving as the Local Education Agency Representatives on IEP Teams

By Rose Kilmurray, Eva Kubinski, Tim Peerenboom, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Introduction 

The field of special education uses a lot of acronyms like IEP, FAPE, and LRE. While using acronyms can be an efficient way of communicating in some circumstances, it can become problematic when talking with people who do not understand the lingo, or when IEP team members forget what those acronyms represent. For example, saying, “An Individual Education Program ensures a student with a disability receives a Free Appropriate Public Education in the Least Restrictive Environment,” is much clearer than saying, “An IEP provides FAPE in the LRE.” While special educators and related services professionals may well understand this, parents and often general educators, including principals, may not.

Another often used, but less understood acronym, is the “LEA Rep,” which is sometimes even shortened to simply “LEA.” With the many demands placed upon building administrators, it might be easy to perceive this title and this role as unimportant. But an examination of the full title and responsibilities of the Local Education Agency Representative underscores just how vital the role is.  According to 34 CFR 300.321, this Representative of the Public Agency: 

What Administrators Need to Know

Here are some tips for before, during, and after the IEP meeting that can help LEA Reps ensure FAPE in the LRE.

Engage IEP team members before the meeting:

• Ensure the individual assigned to be the Local Educational Representative (LEA) of the Public Agency meets the requirements described above. The LEA Representative’s main roles are to guarantee the IEP services being determined can and will be provided, understand the general education curriculum expectations so that IEP services support access, engagement, and progress in the curriculum, and oversee the implementation of the IEP services that are determined during the meeting.
• Ensure the IEP case manager is prepared to facilitate the meeting, while not making any predeterminations about special education eligibility or IEP Services. 
• Take steps to prepare the parent(s) to meaningfully participate in the IEP team meeting. This may include contacting them in advance of the meeting to answer any procedural questions, previewing the meeting agenda, and providing progress monitoring data. The Wisconsin Statewide Parent Education Initiative (WSPEI) provides a variety of tools to encourage meaningful parent participation.
• Foster a collaborative relationship between the school staff members of the IEP team, the parent(s), and the student by creating a welcoming environment, and being organized in advance. Making sure the room and seating arrangements are structured so that all team members feel equal and providing a meeting agenda that includes multiple entry points for parent input are two ways to do this.

Engage and facilitate collaboration during the meeting:

• Monitor the IEP team discussions during each step of the College and Career Ready IEP Process to ensure each team member, especially parents, have equal voice and opportunity to provide input.
• If one or more team members disagree with a conclusion or decision, facilitate discussion to achieve consensus by focusing on meeting the student’s disability related needs. It can also be helpful to make all team members aware that IEP teams can re-convene at any time to reconsider decisions when new information and data that can better inform the content of the IEP become available.

Engage with IEP team members after the meeting:

• Coordinate any action items needed to implement IEP services and supports determined during the meeting.
• Ensure parents receive all necessary IEP documents and follow up with them to answer any questions related to the IEP.

Summary