Preparing for Mason's first IEP ..

Preparing for Mason's first IEP(Individualized Education Plan) is a bit scary. What happens is, when Mason turns 3 he is school age and his education is now in the hands of the school district. They will create a program for him based on what they think he needs and it will most likely be in their special ed classroom. As of right now Mason is doing so well in school at Blind Childrens Learning Center, he is in a school completely designed to cater to the needs of a blind child, and I don't spend even a second worrying that his needs might not be met. Now they want to take him from this amazing program, put him in a setting where he will most likely be the only blind child and the sole focus is not visual impairments. He will go from a class of 6 to a class of 12-18 students. Needless to say, I am a little stressed with this situation. It is my job as a mom to have a solid team of supporters who will help me advocate for Mason and convince the district that right now Blind Childrens Learning Center is the best place for Mason at this time and that is where they need to fund his education. Some districts are easy and understand the importance of the student staying at BCLC , but from my understanding our district is not one of them, and they RARELY keep student at BCLC. So, I have started preparing his folder and remind myself the reason for the meeting is to provide Mason with the best education and services right now. It will be held sometime between May and August, never hurts to start preparing.