Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 28 - EDUCATION › Part LV - Bulletin 1891-Louisiana's IEP Handbook for Gifted/Talented Students › Chapter 5 - Initial IEP Development › Section LV-505 - Participants

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. At any initial
				IEP meeting, the following participants must be in attendance: an officially
				designated representative of the LEA, the student's regular education and
				special education teachers, the student's parent(s), and a person knowledgeable
				about the student's evaluation procedures and results. The student, as well as
				other individuals the parents and/or LEA may deem necessary, should be given
				the opportunity to attend. Documentation of attendance is required.
1. An officially designated representative of
				the LEA (ODR) is one who is qualified to provide or supervise the provision of
				specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of G/T students, is
				knowledgeable about the general curriculum, and is knowledgeable about the
				availability of resources of the LEA. The LEA may designate another LEA member
				of the IEP team to serve also as the agency representative, if the above
				criteria are satisfied. A special education teacher cannot serve as the ODR for
				a child's IEP if he/she is also the child's teacher. A LEA must have on file
				and must disseminate within the agency a policy statement naming the kinds of
				persons who may act as the official representative of the LEA. Representatives
				may include the director/supervisor of special education, principals,
				instructional strategists, teachers, or any other LEA employee certified to
				provide or supervise special educational services. A member of the student's
				evaluation team may serve in this capacity.
2. Parents are equal participants in the IEP
				process in discussing the educational and related services needs of the student
				and deciding which placement and other services are appropriate. As such, one
				or both of the student's parents should participate in the initial
				IEP/placement meeting(s). Other team members must rely on parents' to
				contribute their perspective of the student outside of school. Parental insight
				about the student's strengths and support needs, learning style, temperament,
				and ability to work in various environments is of vital importance to the team
				in making decisions about the student's needs and services. The concerns of the
				parents for enhancing the education of their child must be documented in the
				IEP.
NOTE 1:
Parent
is defined as a natural or
				  adoptive parent of a child; a guardian, but not the State if the child is ward
				  of the State; a person acting in the place of a parent of a child (such as a
				  grandparent or stepparent with whom the child lives or a person who is legally
				  responsible for the child's welfare); or a surrogate parent who has been
				  appointed. A foster parent may qualify as a "parent" when the natural parents'
				  authority to make educational decisions on the child's behalf has been
				  extinguished under State law, and the foster parent has an ongoing, long-term
				  parental relationship with the child; is willing to participate in making
				  educational decisions in the child's behalf; and has no interest that would
				  conflict with the interests of the child.