The USDOE, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) issued additional guidance on the role of parental involvement in placement decisions, and in particular, the decision about how far from home a child with disabilities can be educated. The guidance came in response to a letter from a Colorado advocate regarding a school district that was using a two-step process to determine placement: the IEP team which included the parent, and a separate ‘location team’ which did not include the parent.
USDOE’s response emphasizes IDEA’s requirement that the parent be part of the team to make the placement decision. Because the placement team, which includes the child’s parents, must consider the proximity of the placement option(s) to the child’s home in determining the school or facility in which the child’s IEP can be implemented, the parent must be included in that discussion. A separate process that does not include the parent would violate IDEA.
