Education group emphasizes parental involvement

An advocate for disabled students and their parents told the Heartland Citizens for Education Awareness on Monday night to get it in writing in order to have some control over students' educational plans.

Byron Koster, senior advocate from Missouri Protection and Advocacy Services, spoke at the group's meeting at the Cape Girardeau Public Library to address family members, service providers, teachers and district administrators concerned about delivering support services to disabled students.

The three-hour discussion touched on explanations of federal mandates pertaining to educational services and supports such as IDEA or 504, Individualized Education Programs and strategies for successful advocacy.

Koster's advice to parents who disagree with school districts about their child's needs was captured in a short acrostic: OPERA -- Obtain Proof to Ensure Receipt -- Accountability.

The accuracy and completeness of documentation obtained is directly related to a parent or guardian's chances of holding a school district accountable, said Koster, a 17-year advocacy veteran. Parents who think their child's special needs are being denied should ask their school "what mandate you are following and can you put that in writing?"

"The more they know you know your stuff, their resistance will stop," Koster said. The vast majority of school districts operate within federal and state guidelines, he said.

Koster's group is Missouri's only legal rights organization exclusively for people with disabilities. Its mission is to "protect the rights of individuals with disabilities by providing advocacy and legal services."

Parental struggles with school districts often "boil down to a parent not knowing their rights," said Jamie Nipper, Heartland Citizens for Education Awareness secretary.

The group was launched this year in response to increasing discontent from parents concerned their children weren't being adequately served, said chairman Brad Noel.

"Our group is not only focused on Common Core," Noel said. "We're all about making sure that our children are receiving the best education possible, and making sure that our citizens are as aware as possible of everything that is involved in the education field."

Noel said his group operates with a mission to provide support to parents and teachers while increasing public awareness of educational issues. Its goal is to improve the quality of education for children, emphasizing parental involvement and maintaining public control.

"You're at the mercy of the school district and putting full faith that they are going to do everything that is possible and legal to help students get an education," Noel said. "However, after talking to several people with issues, it was quite clear that everything hadn't been done for these students, and these parents didn't know that they had options."

The group meets at the Cape Girardeau Public Library on the last Monday of each month.

"Hopefully this meeting tonight is going to pull in some more members who weren't aware of what we're trying to do in the community. What we're doing is trying to help keep the community and upstate aware of different educational issues," Noel said.

For more information on the HCEA, visit hcea2013.org.

Information on the Missouri Protection and Advocacy Services can be found by visiting moadvocacy.org.

Pertinent address:

711 N. Clark St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.