By Joseph L. Pfrommer, Esq.

Compensatory education. Private school costs. Attorney's fees … A finding of predetermination under the IDEA can be costly for your district — but can be avoided. This is your guide to understanding what predetermination is and how it can occur, and for training staff to minimize claims while increasing parent participation at IEP meetings and manifestation determination reviews.

You’ll be equipped to avoid predetermination by learning valuable lessons from actual and hypothetical cases, appropriate actions and those that may trigger disputes, plus practical strategies to:

• Run an IEP meeting that makes parents feel included and engaged
• Complete a prior written notice that effectively explains a parent’s meaningful participation in the IEP meeting or MDR
• Select a note-taker for an IEP meeting and identify what types of notes should be written down
• Conduct a pre-planning meeting before the full IEP team convenes while maintaining open minds
• And more