Doug C. vs. Hawaii: IEP parent involvement
The IEP court case of Doug C. vs. Hawaii When a student is found eligible for special education, an individual education plan (IEP) is developed and updated annually. Special education teachers have traditionally sworn by those dates, allowing no room for flexibility. However, a landmark case (Doug C. Vs Hawaii DOE) in Summer of 2013, courts ruled that parent involvement is more important than exceeding timelines for annual or reevaluation deadlines. The case began when a parent requested a meeting to be rescheduled due to illness but because of the school was going to go over timeline, school staff met without him present and made decisions about their child's program. The IEP team told parents that they had decided that their 18-year old son with autism was to transition from a private placement to the public home school. Parents went and lost at due process but found victory in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Despite Hawaii's Depar...