Not every system takes that adversarial a position. No comment on this specific school.
The number of participants invited to this meeting is actually quite normal for this kind of eligibility meeting, where there are multiple factors involved with 2e. There are only a couple of roles there which I have not seen routinely in similar situations. Each of the specialists is there to present their piece of the evaluation, which is actually a good thing. Some systems have the chair read through and interpret all the findings, which can be more problematic, as they are not always qualified to interpret every specialist report.
Bring whomever you feel will help you to be most effective in presenting your perspective, and as an advocate for your child. You do not have to notify the school district beforehand about anyone you want to bring with you, although I would highly recommend that you do let them know, as a courtesy, especially if you bring anyone with a JD. Many systems will re-schedule the meeting if you bring an attorney unannounced, as they frequently have policies that the school counsel must be present for any meeting attended by an outside attorney.
ETA: Oh, and some of the invitees are probably there because there are different levels of their specialization. E.g., one of the speech and language people is probably an SLP, which is a higher level than a speech assistant. The SLP probably does the evaluations, while the assistant would do the therapy. One of them may have done the testing, while the other did classroom observations. Especially if all the diagnosticians are housed at a central district office, which usually means they aren't as in touch with what actually happens in classrooms and student daily function. You'll see the same thing with PTs and APE staff, or OTs and COTAs. And there might be a behavior specialist, who could have any of a number of titles.
Last edited by aeh; 11/21/14 01:05 PM.
