Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Field Experience C
Field Experience C
Field Experience C
Heather Griffis
John Gustafson
March 6, 2024
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This week I worked on interviewing a special education teacher who teaches a self-
contained classroom on my school campus. Speaking with the special education teacher I learned
about her responsibilities in following the individuals with disabilities act and meeting the needs
of those students who she teaches. According to the special education teacher she is responsible
for planning educational goals and plans to meet the needs of students who hold a disability in
her classroom. In this classroom there is a wide range of student’s ability levels. As the special
education teacher who works with these students on a daily basis, she is also responsible for
taking the plans that are put together and implementing them for each individual student. Since
this class is formed of students with severe disabilities, they are in a self-contained classroom,
but they do eat lunch in the cafeteria where other students eat (Coviello, & DeMatthews, 2021).
They also attend specials with general education classes so that they are given time for
interaction with others outside of their classroom. The IDEA states these students should receive
an appropriate education that is in the restrictive environment but due to their severe disabilities
they are assigned to this classroom who houses multiple paras and support personnel who come
In my second interview this week I learned how the principals handles IDEA and
students with disabilities. It is the principal’s responsibility to make sure that the school staff
know about Individuals with Disabilities Act, and they are following it with fidelity. The goal
is the success of all students on a school campus. Advocating for these students who are
struggling with sometime of disability is the job of a teacher but as well as the school
principals and the counselors. During some of the IEP meetings the principal and or assistant
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principal sits in and helps collaborate between the school personnel and the students’ families.
As a former teacher and instructional coach, the principal mentor has had her fair share of
advocating for students who need special services in order to get them on the path toward
success. As a principal of the school, they are to support the families, students and as well as
the teachers in dealing with student’s education needs. Sometimes the principal must step in as
a mediator between parents and teachers because sometimes the families don’t like to hear that
Ensuring that every student has the right to a free and appropriate education is a function
that a school principal must adhere to. In previous years students with disabilities were not
included into general education classroom. In 1975 the Education for all handicapped Children
Act was created to ensure that students with disabilities were getting appropriate educational
opportunities in public schools. Later it was changed to the IDEA as we know it today. This
ensures that students with disabilities receives high quality education (Coviello, & DeMatthews
2021). As a school principal there are many duties and responsibilities that are held. There are
those duties for general administration of a school for general education as well as those for
There are many functions that a principal needs to follow in order to comply with IDEA.
They are to participate in IEP meetings, observe in special education classrooms, meet, and
collaborate with families of students with disabilities. The principal must also assist with
placement for students who fall under the IDEA. They work to place students in appropriate
classrooms that fit their learning needs. Another function the principal has under IDEA is to
make sure there is sufficient personnel available to assist with the needs of students with
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disabilities. As a principal they are also supposed to ensure that each student who holds an IEP
on their campus is receiving the services, and they are being documented with fidelity. There are
some community resources that school personnel can access that will help them better serve their
student’s needs. One resource that can be utilized here in Florida would be the department of
health and the section disabilities. Another resource that could be beneficial for a special
understanding of IDEA and how to fully comply. I plan to be a leader who is committed to
bring a sense of community and collaboration to a school campus. I plan to run the school by
the books. To do my job of ensuring that every student is given the best education possible, I
will need to be up to date on school laws and how they effect the way the school is
for leadership. As a leader it will be my job to build and care for a school environment, one
As the school leader I will also work to ensure that I am following standard 7 of the
professional standards for educational leaders. I need to ensure that my staff are familiar with up-
to-date school laws and policies. I will work to have more training for those who work with our
special populations to ensure we are all in sync and following IDEA with compliance (PSEL,
2015). Not only will I work with the students and staff, but I plan to help build engagement
among families. As standard 8 states in the professional standards for leaders a school leader
works to understand and value efforts to connect community to ensure the students are on a path
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to success (PSEL, 2015). Be aware and mindful of IDEA and how it effects our special
References
Coviello, J., & DeMatthews, D. E. (2021). Failure Is Not Final: Principals’ Perspectives on
2020-0170
Gilson, T., & Etscheidt, S. (2022). Preparing Administrative Leaders to Support Special
National Policy Board. (2015). Professional standards for educational leaders 2015: Introduction
WebinarPowerPointSlides.pdf
https://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/people-with-disabilities/disability-
and-health-program/resources.html
https://www.fldoe.org/academics/exceptional-student-edu/