1

Field Experience C: Practical Implications of IDEA

Mary McVey

College of Education, Grand Canyon University

EAD-505: Education Law

Dr. Shelly Arneson

November 24, 2020

 2

Interview 1 with Special Education Director

I was recently able to meet virtually with our Interim Principal and Social/Emotional

Guidance Director, Cecelia Torres. In her regular position as head of the counseling department,

she is responsible for a number of roles that consume her work day. She is in charge of ensuring

that all the students on the STEP program, “a school-based program designed to improve the

ease of students’ transition from elementary to middle or junior high school,” are adequately

accommodated (“Program Details,” 2013). She monitors that all the teachers are adhering to the

strict guidelines of this program and are following the education plans created for the individual

students. As a private school, we do not receive any funding from the government, so we do not

have to follow the guidelines set forth by the Individuals with Disabilities ACT (IDEA).

However, there is a stipulation this act that requires the particular district that a private school

belongs to “to make services and benefits available to children with disabilities enrolled by their

parents in nonpublic (private) schools” (U.S. Department of Education, 2011). Since we belong

to the Bellflower School District, our local public high school is expected to share their resources

with us and provide us with tools to better accommodate the needs of our special education

students. Mrs. Torres’ job is also to communicate with the public high school’s psychologist and

refer our parents to their services when a student needs to be formally evaluated. She is

responsible for handling any claims of abuse, classroom disruptions, and other problem

behaviors and scenarios. As a mandated reporter, she works with local law enforcement and

social welfare agencies to help students in tough situations. She says that her job never stops as

there is always a student in need of a listening ear, a helping hand, or a vocal advocate. This is

especially true as her job description requires her to be available 24/7 through cell phone in case
 3

she needs to be reached to handle an emergency situation with a student with social, emotional,

mental, or educational exceptionalities.

Interview 2 with Mentor Principal

My mentor, Elaine Borgonia, is the Dean of Faculty and is involved with special

education students in many ways. As a teacher first and foremost, she has over 15 years of

experience managing a classroom that accommodates both regular and special education

students. Since we do not isolate or remove our special needs students from the regular

population, she has had to work with our local school district to create a classroom that is

conducive to all learning types. She is expected to work with our STEP students and follow the

guidelines set forth in their district approved Individual Education Plans and/or their 504 plans,

in accordance with “Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973” (ESSEX, 2019, p.150). As a

Dean of Faculty, she must work with Mrs. Torres to supervise all the teachers and ensure that

they are following the principles of IDEA. While we as a private school are not legally obligated

to adhere to IDEA, we still make it a priority to provide as many tools and resources as possible

to our students in need of additional help. Ms. Borgonia performs two evaluations each semester

where she observes a teacher in the classroom, both formally and informally, and provides

feedback regarding the inclusivity of their educational practices. As Dean, she also works with

parents of special educations students and keeps them informed of their progress in and outside

of the classroom. Their emotional and social health is documented and discussed with the parents

yearly, along with monthly updates about their actual grades. Along with Mrs. Torres, Ms.

Borgonia helps organize STEP meetings, where in the beginning of the year, parents and their

children who are in the program, have a meeting with each of their assigned teachers to discuss

their IEP and outline the special accommodations they will require. Since the principal is
 4

undergoing kidney surgery, Ms. Borgonia was also kind enough to explain to me the duties of

the principal in regard to IDEA and federal regulations for special education students. Basically,

the principal is the main overseer of the program and must be able to answer for all the

requirements that our students with exceptionalities require. The principal must also be able to

hire or remove teachers based on their ability to teach students of all learning ranges and their

general understanding and adherence to the rights of students with disabilities. She must also set

a precedent for a community of inclusion and acceptance.

Functions of the Principal/Additional Resources

The principal of a school is overall in charge of implementing and monitoring IDEA

guidelines daily. Five specific functions that he/she must perform in order to best serve students

with disabilities and provide support for faculty, staff, and the students’ families include the

following: establishing an IEP team, creating checks and balances for ensuring that teachers are

following IDEA guidelines, staying informed of special education practices and developments,

working with outside sources to ensure that students with disabilities are in the best educational

environment possible, and communicating with parents about IDEA students and their progress.

The first responsibility that the principal has is to create a team of educators dedicated to

managing all IEPs and students with extra needs. This group will be an on-campus resource to

ensure that the guidelines through IDEA are implemented in the classroom in accordance with

each student’s individual IEP. In creating this team, the principal must have “strategies for

retaining and supporting staff” that work with these students specifically (Bateman & Bateman,

2014). The second function would be to create rules and clearly written expectations for special

education teachers to follow. Handbooks, pamphlets, contracts, and more will allow staff to

know exactly what is expected of them and will help the principal disseminate information from
 5

IDEA to the whole school. Special education teachers must be monitored, evaluated, and

corrected when not in compliance with the guidelines. In order to do this, the principal must also

be well-informed of modern interpretations of the act and know how its policies can change

every year. It is their job to always have the most recent and relevant information available to

them in order to lead and make decisions in compliance with IDEA’s codes. They can use

outside resources to research these rules and can work with internet groups, local schools, their

school district, advocacy groups, and more to find information and gather new tools for working

with children with exceptionalities. Lastly, the principal must “know all the students in the

building and be ready to talk about them” with parents and the community at large (Bateman &

Bateman, 2014). While each student is guaranteed their right to privacy when it comes to their

specific condition or health, the principal must still be able to speak with their parents, update

them on their progress, and talk to them when discipline or other actions are needed. Following

and performing all five of these functions daily are part of a principal’s overall duties and will

help them stay in line with IDEA guidelines and requirements.

The first additional community resource that our special education facilitators have at

their disposal is the local public school, Mayfair High School. This is because this public school

has been assigned to our private school to provide us with the additional resources we need to

accommodate our special needs students. All teachers and counselors at my school can contact

the guidance and IDEA team at Mayfair High School to discuss special education strategies with

them or to request classroom tools. For example, if a teacher is creating a test, but is having

difficulty altering the test to accommodate a particular student’s IEP, the teacher can send the

test to Mayfair and it will come back in 2-3 days edited to that student’s specified needs. Also,

when a student is showing signs of learning disabilities or disruptive social behaviors, we refer
 6

them to the licensed school psychologist at Mayfair in order to be evaluated. An additional

resource that our special education team can use is the National Center for Learning Disabilities.

This organization’s website houses “videos and articles that contain valuable information and

strategies to help you effectively teach your students” (Saint Joseph's University, 2020). It also

provides free access to tips and strategies on how to better implement 504 plans in a classroom,

how to communicate with worried parents, and how to become a more inclusive educator. Any

teams, including our own special education employees, are able to access these online resources

freely in order to better advocate for our students with more individualized needs.

Reflection/Implications for Future Practice.

Being able to speak with the members of administration that are directly involved with

our special education students has helped me better understand the needs, rights, and rules of

these particular students’ educational journeys. Not only have I become more well-informed

about this subject, but I also feel ready to apply this practical knowledge in my current position

as a teacher and in my future career as dean of faculty. It will one day be my job to ensure that

all of our teachers are in compliance with the basic principles of IDEA, even though we are a

private school, and are teaching special education students according to their individualized

IEPs. While I am not planning on becoming a principal at this moment, I still might find myself

in this leadership position one day, and I will be expected to create a school environment that is

equitable and available to all of our students. I will need to be able to follow standards 5 and 7

from the National Policy Board for Educational Administration, and successfully lead my school

into a future where all students, despite their special needs, can be treated fairly and welcomed

with open and capable arms. This is especially important as standard 5 requires that I “cultivate

an inclusive, caring, and supportive school community that promotes the academic success and
 7

well-being of each student” (National Policy Board for Educational Administration, 2015). I can

do this by creating and maintaining a campus where students feel safe and accepted, regardless

of their physical, mental, or educational exceptionalities. As a Dean of Faculty, it will be my job

to make sure this environment is cultivated by faculty and staff that are professional and

dedicated to each student’s success as addresses in standard 7. I will need to be the lead role-

model and be the first to “establish and sustain a professional culture of engagement and

commitment” (National Policy Board for Educational Administration, 2015). I will empower my

teachers to motivate their own students in turn, and encourage them to provide opportunities in

the classroom that allow the special education students to participate, grow, and feel included.
 8

References

Bateman, D. F., & Bateman, C. F. (2014). A Principal's Guide to Special Education [PDF].

Arlington: Council for Exceptional Children.

ESSEX, N. L. (2019). SCHOOL LAW AND THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: A practical guide for

educational leaders. PEARSON.

National Policy Board for Educational Administration. (2015). Professional Standards for

Educational Leaders [PDF]. Reston, VA.

Program Details. (2013). Retrieved November 23, 2020, from https://crimesolutions.ojp.gov

/programdetails?id=308

Saint Joseph's University. (2020, February 23). Top 10 Resources for Special Education

Teachers. Retrieved November 23, 2020, from https://online.sju.edu/graduate/masters-

special-education/resources/articles/top-10-resources-for-special-education-teachers

U.S. Department of Education. (2011, March). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act:

Provisions Related to Children With Disabilities Enrolled by Their Parents in Private

Schools [PDF]. Washington, D.C.: Office of Non-Public Education.