2.4 The Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC) Process and Appeals

PROCESS FOR IDENTIFICATION, PLACEMENT AND REVIEW COMMITTEE



2.4 IDENTIFICATION, PLACEMENT AND REVIEW COMMITTEE PROCESS

Regulation 181/98 requires that all school boards establish Identification Placement and Review Committees (IPRC). A committee is composed of at least three persons, one of whom must be a principal or supervisory officer of the board or their designate. The Identification Placement and Review Committee will:

· decide whether or not a student should be identified as exceptional

· identify the areas of a student’s exceptionality, according to the categories and definitions of exceptionalities provided by the Ministry of Education

· decide an appropriate placement for a student

· review the identification and placement at least once in each school year

Administrative procedures for Identification Placement and Review Committees may be found in Appendix 2.4.1

Initiating an IPRC

An IPRC may be initiated by a parent or a school principal. If a parent wishes an IPRC they should contact the principal in writing. Once an IPRC is convened, the committee will consider strengths and needs and will make determinations regarding exceptionality and placement. A referral contains a significant amount of information regarding the student’s educational history, strengths and needs, accommodations and modifications already implemented by the school, and any educational, psychological or medical assessments available. Parents are given a copy of the information to be used by the IPRC, and are welcome to add documents which might assist the committee members in making their determinations. Schools will provide parents with information about the range of academic and extra-curricular opportunities available within the school in order to recognize the student's strengths and to meet their needs. The referral to IPRC with the statement of decision is included in Appendix 2.4.2.

Committee Membership

IPRC is established in order to make initial identifications of exceptionality and placement, and to review the determinations once each school year. The Lambton Kent District School Board has two levels of IPRC, depending on the placement recommended by the school. Since most exceptional students are placed in programs in their community school, most IPRCs are held at the home school of the student. The committee is chaired by a Supervisory Officer designate (usually the Co-ordinator of Special Education), with members coming from the school – the Principal and one other staff (usually the resource teacher). Others are invited to become committee members if required (e.g. Psychologist, specialist teacher, classroom teacher, Speech-Language Pathologist, etc.)

For central placements (e.g. Developmental Class or others as outlined in Section 2.8), a central IPRC is established. The meeting is chaired by the Supervisory Officer designate (usually the Co-ordinator of Special Education), with at least 2 Principals from other schools, and other members as appropriate to discuss the specific needs of the child. The Principal of the child’s school attends with the parents in order to present information to the IPRC in addition to the referral and print data already provided.

For reviews, school-based IPRCs are formed (Principal and two others, usually the resource teacher and classroom teacher) and the meeting is held at the home school. For exceptional students moving from Grade 8 to 9, the annual review is held at the receiving Secondary School and is chaired by the Co-ordinator of Special Education, or the school Principal. Committee members include a Principal and other representatives from the Secondary School. The parents are accompanied by a representative of the Elementary School.

Procedures

The principal of the school shall, within 15 days of a student’s referral to the IPRC, provide the parent or guardian with a copy of the parent guide outlining the procedures and processes of the IPRC and will let the parent know approximately when the committee expects to meet for the first time to discuss the student. (See Appendix 2.4.3: Understanding the IPRC Process –A Parent Guide)

An educational assessment will be obtained to help the IPRC with its decisions. If the committee feels that a health assessment or a psychological assessment of the student is also required for the committee to make its decisions, it may request these assessments. The IPRC can request information that is contained in the Ontario Student Record card, but only with the written permission of the parent.

Before any decisions regarding a student’s possible placement, the IPRC shall consider whether placement in a regular classroom with special education services would best meet the student’s needs and is consistent with parental preferences. If the committee agrees that placement in a regular classroom is best and the parent agrees, then the committee shall decide in favour of a regular classroom placement with appropriate special education services. If the committee decides that a child should be placed in a special education class, it must state the reasons for that decision in its written statement of decision.

Parents are entitled to be present at the meeting and participate in all committee discussions about their child, and to be present when the committee’s identification and placement decision is made. Parents are welcome to bring a supportive person with them to the meeting. This could be a friend, a professional, or an Association representative.

At least 10 days in advance of the meeting, the chair of the IPRC will provide the parent/guardian with written notification of the meeting and an invitation to attend the meeting as an important partner in considering the student’s placement. This letter will notify the parent/guardian of the date, time and place of the meeting, and it will ask the parent/guardian to indicate whether they will be able to attend. Prior to the IPRC meeting the parent/guardian will receive a written copy of any information about their child that the chair of the IPRC has received.

After careful consideration of the information, the committee will make its decision. As soon as possible after the decision is made, the chair of the IPRC shall send a written statement to the parent/guardian, or to the student, if 16 years or older, to the principal who referred the student, and to the school board’s representative on the committee. This written statement will contain a statement of decision, which states whether the committee has identified the student as an exceptional student. If the student has been identified as exceptional, the statement gives the category and definition of the student’s exceptionality, the placement decision, and any additional strengths and needs as determined by the IPRC. If the parent is in agreement with the decision they are asked to sign and return the document acknowledging their agreement with the decision. The principal of the student’s school is notified about the placement and an Individual Education Plan (IEP) is developed within 30 days of the placement.

A committee shall review the identification and placement of a student at least once each school year. In addition, a parent may request in writing, a review or the principal of the school could request a review after the student’s placement has been in effect for three months. Before any changes in placement can take place a parent/guardian must agree in writing to the change.

If a parent does not agree with either the identification or placement decision made by the IPRC, the parent may:

· within 15 days of the receipt of the decision, request that the IPRC hold a second meeting to discuss their concerns; or

· within 30 days of receipt of the decision, file a written notice of appeal with the Director of Education of the Lambton Kent District School Board.

If a parent does not agree with the decision after the second meeting, the parent may file a notice of appeal within 15 days of the receipt of the decision. If a parent does not consent to the IPRC decision and does not appeal it, the board will instruct the principal to implement the IPRC decision, following the 30 day appeal period.

Every attempt will be made to reach agreement with parents related to the IPRC decision prior to a formal appeal. Such attempts may include one or more of the following:

· further discussion with principal

· further consultation and collaborative problem solving between the parent and school team

· request for additional assessment

· consultation with other professionals (eg. Psychologist, Medical Doctor)

· subsequent meeting with the same IPRC members

· meeting with a different IPRC

· mediation with third party involvement

Appeals

Within thirty (30) days of the date of the IPRC decision, or within fifteen (15) days if there has been further discussion with the IPRC, the parent can accept the determination or make a written request to the Director of Education to initiate an appeal. The parent must state the nature of the disagreement with the decision of the IPRC. The Appeal Board shall be established within 30 days of receipt of notice of appeal from a parent. The Appeal Board shall be made up of three members who are not members or employees of the board and with no prior involvement with the issue under appeal (one selected by the board, one selected by the parent, and a chair selected by the first two nominees). The chair shall arrange a meeting within 30 days of selection with the parent at a convenient place and time (can be more than 30 days with written consent of the parent). The Appeal Board has three (3) days after hearing the appeal to either agree with the IPRC and recommend that its decisions be implemented, or disagree with the IPRC and make recommendation concerning identification and/or placement, and will report its decision in writing to the parent of the pupil, to the chair of the committee and to the representative of the board. The Board has thirty (30) days to accept or reject the decision. If a parent still disagrees with the decision they may apply to the Secretary of a Special Education Tribunal for a hearing to appeal the Special Education Appeal Board decision. The decision of the Special Education Tribunal is final.

Number of IPRCs during the Previous School Year

Number of IPRC referrals: 812

Number of IPRC reviews: 3326

Number of IPRC appeals: 0