My daughter has an IEP (individualized education program) with her elementary school. We might be moving out of state. Would the IEP transfer with her? It’s vital to her education for her to keep the IEP.
Congress recently re-authorized the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Education Act. This act provides for special education services for children with all types of medical, emotional, behavioral and educational disabilities, and standardizes the methods for evaluation and care of these students.
However, each state develops its own standards within the federal guidelines, as well as service patterns. Eligibility for service, however, should be equal wherever a child is educated throughout the country. So yes, the IEP will transfer with your child. Not all schools provide the same level of service, though. Smaller school districts often lack the funding to provide the kinds of services bigger school districts have.
I suggest that when you enroll your daughter in a new school you request an IEP meeting with the school psychologist and your daughter’s teacher and special educator. At the meeting, you can review the IEP and rewrite it to the school district’s IEP model and programs.
Learn more in the Everyday Health ADD/ADHD Center.