An IEP (Individualized Education Program) is a comprehensive plan that outlines the program of special education instruction, supports, and services a student needs to grow and achieve in his or her education. Students are legally entitled to these needed services and supports under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
The IEP is designed to meet a student’s unique needs and is put together collaboratively by the IEP Team and reviewed at least annually. Learn more about IEP from the Illinois State Board of Education »
The IEP team includes parent(s)/guardian(s), a general education teacher, a special education teacher, a school administrator, evaluation personnel, and others with special knowledge or expertise regarding the student.
IEP Process
The process begins with an evaluation that shows a student’s strengths and challenges. The results let families and schools create a program of services and supports tailored to meet the student’s needs.
All children with disabilities who are between the ages of 3 and 21, and have not yet graduated from high school are entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). We are committed to providing a continuum of special education programs and services for children ages 3 through 21 with special needs who qualify for special education services.
Referrals and Screenings
Huntley 158 uses a variety of methods of referral and screening to identify students with special needs.
- Referral by parents or guardians, concerned adults, and children themselves
- Preschool screening for children ages 3-5 at the District 158 Early Childhood Center
- Hearing and vision screenings at regular intervals during the child’s educational career
- An ongoing referral process completed by teachers and other professional personnel identifying children who exhibit difficulty performing in the classroom
When a referral is made, a team of professionals will meet to determine whether a case study evaluation is warranted. If so, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Team will meet with parents to collect information from parents or guardians, teachers and others to review existing information and determine the specific domain areas to be assessed in an evaluation.
This domain meeting will address the areas of Health, Vision, Hearing, Social/ Emotional Status, General Intelligence, Academic Performance, Functional Performance, Communication Status, and Motor Abilities. Once the domain areas have been determined, the parents will then give consent or refuse consent for evaluation of the determined assessments.
After determined assessments are completed, a meeting to share the results will be held within 60 school days. This purpose of this meeting will be to summarize, interpret and document evaluation results, and determine eligibility for special education services. Contact the Special Services Department for information on making a referral.
Recording a Section 504 or IEP Meeting
Huntley Community School District 158’s standard practice is that Section 504 and IEP meetings may not be recorded unless all team members agree to the recording. A parent, or guardian, requiring the recording of a Section 504 or IEP meeting in order to meaningfully participate due to a disability, or other impacting factor, must request the accommodation 10 calendar days prior to the meeting so that an exception to the standard practice can be considered.
If the basis for the request is the parent’s disability, the parent must provide a written statement from a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches, a licensed physician assistant (PA), or a licensed Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) documenting the parent’s disability along with an explanation as to why the parent requires the meeting recorded as an accommodation for the disability.
The request to record the Section 504 or IEP meeting as a disability accommodation must be submitted to the Superintendent or designee or the Building Principal consistent with Board Policy 8:70. If the basis for the request is another impacting factor, such as a parent’s limited English proficiency, the accommodation request must be submitted to the Superintendent or designee or the Building Principal 10 calendar days prior to the meeting so that an exception to the standard practice can be considered.
When the Superintendent or designee or the Building Principal determines that recording the Section 504 or IEP meeting would constitute a reasonable accommodation, the parent must be allowed to record the Section 504 or IEP meeting, even if all team members do not agree. Whenever a Section 504 or IEP meeting is recorded, the Building Principal should ensure that a second recording is made so that it becomes a part of the student’s temporary record maintained by District 158.
The Superintendent or designee or the Building Principal may determine that an alternative reasonable accommodation will be provided by District 158 to ensure the parent’s meaningful participation at the Section 504 or IEP meeting. Section 504 or IEP meetings must not be broadcasted in any form, including on social media. If participation at a Section 504 or IEP meeting involves the use of telephone or video conferencing, the meeting must not be recorded through those alternative participation methods, unless an exception has been authorized by District 158.
