Try going to the top. Your State Education Dept. Secretary of Education. See if you can get some help there. You could also hire a special education attorney . You need to get someone involved who knows your rights and can get your district to comply. Also, it may be helpful for you to do some research. Go onto special ed. websites. Wrightslaw is excellent as well as Reed Martin. Nolo's IEP Guide is also a good resource. Keep documenting everything in writing and tape all your meetings. In my state we can also tape conversations that we are involved in without the other person knowing. If your state allows for this, tape any telephone calls that you have with your district. Also make sure you tape all your IEP meetings. If you decide to get an attorney, you'll be glad that you documented everything. This also means putting all your requests in writing. Good luck
If you know who some parents are, just start talking about another subject. Maybe discussing dentists who work well with kids. And after everyone is relaxed and not fearing an inquisition, start talking about services your kid gets... not what you want, but what he's getting. Maybe they will open up about their kid's services and one thing may lead to another.
If you don't know who the parents are, call your local Center for Independent Living and find out if there are special ed advocacy organizations in your area. You could let them know what's going on and maybe they could give your name to some parents in your district. Or try contacting your local ARC or educational advocates. Is there a special olympics in your area? Any other activities for kids with disabilities? Or any activities for kids? It's just a matter of starting to talk to parents. Eventually you'll connect.
Also, try your state Protection and Advocacy organization. They are federally funded and free to families of individuals with disabilities. The one for New Mexico is:
ADDRESS:Protection & Advocacy, Inc
1720 Louisiana Blvd., NE - Suite 204
Albuquerque, NM 87110
PHONE: 505-256-3100 VOICE/TDD 800-432-4682 (IN STATE)
FAX: 505-256-3184
E-MAIL: info@nmpanda.org
WEBSITE: http://www.nmpanda.org
