![]() That way issues can be cleared up in consultation and not have to be interpreted by arbitrators down the line. My recommendation in future bargaining sessions would be to change the language to more clearly demarcate designated periods of IEP-writing time for any special education provider with an IEP-writing caseload, and add ‘annual reviews’ to that language. The popularity of the less generous interpretation (IEP time only for IEP teachers) is compounded by odd language that bases this IEP time only on students who are ‘initially referred to special education.’ But, SPED and IEP teachers in higher grades rarely work on initial referrals either, so those special circumstances again seem like a red herring. ![]() Of course, while the language does start with IEP teachers, it also includes special education teachers. But, some principals will argue that this language was actually only intended for IEP teachers. ![]() That place is here: “IEP/special education teachers shall be programmed for a specific number of periods (minimum of 5 per week) for (i) preparing for and attending the IEP meetings of children initially referred to special education, and (ii) coverage of other special education teachers’ classes so that they may attend the IEP meetings for their students for requested reevaluations and triennial evaluations…” This language is often more than enough to convince principals that special educators deserve one period a day (usually their C6) to work on IEPs. There is one place in the contract that, in theory, directly gives special education teachers time to write IEPs. In this post, I’ll go over the language we do have to go on, and some possible solutions. But despite some annoying redundancies in the paperwork system, the real source of our IEP woes lies in (1) the failure of a critical mass of school administrations to respect the time of special education providers and (2) the failure of our union to clearly negotiate contractual language that would give us a basis for a remedy. Many of us blame SEISIS or the IEP itself for resulting workload issues. But as special education teachers, IEP Teachers, and various related service providers also well know, the paperwork involved in writing and keeping track of IEPs can be so time consuming that educators are left with precious little time to actually implement them. As New York teachers well know, IEPs are the legal documents that justify and lay out services for students with disabilities.
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