IEPs Should Indicate Services Being Provided to Students

In J.P. and R.P. v. Enid Public Schools., 53 IDELR 112 (W.D. Oklahoma 2009), an administrative decision in a school district's favor was made despite the district's failure to delineate services in a high schooler's IEP. U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton wrote "While [the student's] IEP documents themselves fail to specify every area in which [the student] was in need of special services, the IEPs in practice provided him with an array of special education servives personalized to his own neeeds and calculated to provide him an educational benefit." The IEPs did not spell out how services to address organizational, transition and academic services were going to be provided; however, special education instruction included showing the student how to outline chapters, use a daily planner, breaking tasks in smaller units, how to use indexes and glossaries, interviewing skills, and how to fill out applications for employment. Although the court ruled in favor of the district, case managers of IEPs should not take chances. Special education services required to address student needs should be delineated in IEPs.