By Dr. Derek Ihori

Written in layman’s terms, this is school board members’ comprehensive guide to understanding special education principles, district challenges, and the importance of following best practices and special education law. In a quick-read format, each chapter features a list of acronyms, an Executive Summary of key points, plus Key Concept boxes emphasizing critical information.

Board members will be equipped to make sound financial decisions, and support your district’s special education programs and students’ needs, with guidance on how to:

• Respond to parent complaints without overriding the IEP team or compromising your district’s position
• Make decisions regarding disciplinary actions involving special education students
• Evaluate the benefits of taking a dispute to due process
• Avoid public statements that could erode special education staff members’ confidence in making recommendations
• And more