The Individualized Education Plan (I.E.P.)

As many of you know, I teach students with disabilities, or special education, at the Bronx High School for Law and Community Service. At BHLCS, I also serve in the capacity of special education coordinator which requires me to oversee the IEP process.

It is important to note that the rights of students with disabilities are protected under federal legislation, known as IDEA, which was reauthorized in 2004. These rights are important because these students were once treated like every other minority group (asian, black, hispanic, etc.) with regard to education. They were rejected and written off as unfit to mingle with the general population -- and even denied the right to attend school in some cases.

Moreover, when I arrived at BHLCS, the school was out of compliance with the state because IEP's were not up-to-par according to the New York State Board of Education. However, as we go into the new year, thanks to the dynamic IEP team, BHLCS is in compliance -- and working towards becoming the model for the New York City Public Schools.

Our next task is to ensure that every teachers are using the IEP to drive the instruction of students who have been identified as having disabilities. (Most of our students are classified as learning disabled) Also, it should be noted that our school believes that students should truly be in the LRE (least restrictive environment), and we fight to have students in as many general education settings as possible.

Stay Tuned .............