Sorry for the delay from Part III (here are Part 1 and Part 2), but I need to let you know that I started this process to get this little Foster guy the Special Education services that he needed AND WHICH ARE MANDATED BY LAW that the District of Liability (“DoL”) shall provide to him. I started this the second week of April 2025. I’m talking about the fight to just get to the starting line – in October of 2025 (Barnstead’s evaluation of our Foster Child).
In Part 3, his Dad signed the problem-riddled IEP even after I told him NOT to (which means he either didn’t pick up on the errors himself (probably) or didn’t read it in the first place (more likely). Again, having years of experience in dealing with IEPs, and knowing he had ZERO, I wanted to make sure that what was needed was included.
And because of that, the Barnstead School District decided to make the process (e.g., the process is the punishment) more difficult by pulling what I call “The Used Car Salesman Bait and Switch Stage 1″.
By this I mean stating one thing (during the initial video meeting, the Barnstead District WILL provide student transport to and from school, as this is an out-of-District placement) but then deliberately deciding not to include “Transport Services” in the IEP. Every IEP has a section called “Related Services” that covers non-academic services vital to the student receiving the full complement of academic services he or she needs.
They simply reneged on providing this little boy the wherewithal to get the Speech services (and other academic-related services) that he desperately needed (and still does). We found out when Dad received a Written Prior Notification, which, summarized, said:
"Stupid person - What we verbally tell you we will do doesn't matter. What matter is what we put into the IEP - or DON'T put into the IEP. You didn't catch us lying to you about Transportation.
So because it isn't in the IEP that you signed, we are refusing to fund it.Basically telling Dad that HE’S on the hook (yeah, a guy with no license and no vehicle) for transporting his child, while DCYF has legal guardianship, was just retarded. Ditto the expectation that Foster Parents (that would be us) would have to fill in. Sorry dudettes, but a School District has no power to demand that from us. Not even DCYF can do that.
Now, I WAS ready, over TMEW’s objections, to do so. I made it known that I would, IF they were willing to pay my former hourly rate that my former employer charged our customers as a Principal Software Consultant 10 years ago (Yes, I have been retired that long now) – $350/hour. Plus mileage. Plus expenses. I really didn’t think that was outrageous and would have been happy to receive a check from Barnstead every week.
As expected, they ignored it, but my message was sent with the meaning that was intended (as in “over my dead body”). But it was amusing to think of the looks on their grim visages upon hearing the offer.
Here’s the relevant shot of that Prior Notification’s first page:
Is it too much to ask that a School District CORRECTLY QUOTE THE NH DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION’s Rules under which they are governed? Since it appears that they need remedial reading lessons, here’s a snippet of the actual NH ED Rule 1109.01:
Ed 1109.01 Elements of an Individualized Education Program.
(a) Each IEP shall include:
(1) The elements listed in 34 CFR 300.320;
(2) The length of the school year and the school day required to implement the IEP;
(3) The types of service providers who would be responsible for implementing the IEP or the names of those providers;
(4) A statement identifying the party or parties assuming the financial responsibility for the implementation of the IEP;
(5) The signature of the parent or, where appropriate, student, and representative of the LEA stating approval of the provisions in the IEP;
For emphasis, this REAL Rule 1109.01 has NOTHING about Transportation in it despite what Barnstead claimed. Instead, it outlines what an IEP’s content must include. But Barnstead was counting on the fact that most, if not all, Parents would have no idea what the Rule really mandated. So they figured that, it seems, “we can say anything we want and they’ll take it as Ed Gospel”. So, it seems, Barnstead intentionally lied.
However, there is an Ed Rule 1109.02. Guess what that talks about?
Continued in Part V – so I brought all this to the Courtroom at the next Hearing. And I was asked to speak.
Heh!
