Prior Written Notice, ESY, Dyslexia Evaluations & What to Do When Districts Break the Law | Ask the Advocate | Special Education Boss

Half-Days, MDRs & the Money Trail: Your IEP Questions, Answered Live

Do you know your rights at the IEP table? In this live Q&A, Karen Mayer Cunningham (Special Education Boss®) answers real questions from parents, paraprofessionals, and educators on the issues that actually show up in meetings — no fluff, no legal jargon, just clear preparation. Karen breaks down what really happens after a young child makes a threat (hello, MDR and FBA), why an IEP is written for the full instructional day, and why agreeing to a half-day can quietly release the district from its obligation to deliver FAPE. She tackles ESY denials and the second prong nobody talks about, pull-out vs. push-in and the two questions that decide it, missed services and compensatory packages, and how to write a robust state complaint when your child has been denied a free appropriate public education. She also clears up the alphabet soup — OI, ED, ECSE, LRE — and reminds every para in the room why the book on paraprofessionals exists. Plus a little pot-stirring on where IDEA money actually goes. In this episode: * How schools must respond (not punish) when a student with an IEP makes a threat — MDR + FBA * Why an IEP is written for the full instructional day — and the half-day trap * ESY: the two prongs, and the one they almost never bring up * Pull-out vs. push-in — meaningful benefit and harmful effect * Missed services, compensatory education, and outside-provider reimbursement * Writing a robust state complaint when FAPE has been denied * Eligibility clarified: OI, ED, ECSE, and "we don't make up names" * Progress reporting is a right — not a summer to-do Get The Epic IEP™ — the seven-part framework Karen uses to write an IEP anywhere in the country. Find it in the TikTok shop or at theepiciep.com, along with The Epic IEP Workbook, The Epic IEP Paraprofessional, and The Epic IEP Federal Law & State Guidelines. Join [https://specialeducationacademy.com/training] Special Education Academy — Mondays at 8:00 PM. 250+ hours of training, updated weekly. New: Epic Educator Academy [https://specialeducationacademy.com/educator] — for school-based educators only. $27/month, and it stays $27. Coming up: 2-Day Live Virtual Intensive, August 22–23. [https://specialeducationacademy.com/training] Catch Karen in person: Innovative School Summit, Nashville (Gaylord), July 25–29 · ASHA National Conference, Indianapolis, November 18. "When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody." — Karen Mayer Cunningham Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2464872/support] ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy [https://academy.specialeducationacademy.com/theepiciep-courses/the-academy/] First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: * TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@specialeducationboss] & Instagram: @specialeducationboss * YouTube: Special Education Academy [https://www.youtube.com/c/SpecialEducationAcademy/videos] 🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl [https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl] (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

26 Years in the Classroom: A Veteran Teacher Sounds the Alarm

What happens when the people responsible for carrying out your child's IEP were never trained, supported, or backed up to do it right? This week, Karen Mayer Cunningham sits down with Michelle Williams, a 26-year veteran classroom teacher who has taught elementary and mathematics in rural, urban, and suburban schools. Michelle has watched teacher support erode from the inside, and she is not staying quiet about it.  This is a conversation every parent, advocate, and educator needs to hear. Michelle pulls back the curtain on what is really happening in schools, and Karen connects it straight to your rights and your child's education. Here is some of what we get into: - Why sit-and-get professional development fails teachers and the students who count on them - The greening of education, and what happens when new teachers are left to train new teachers - What the law actually expects when a child is suspected of having a disability, before an IEP is even in place - Why signing an IEP is a legally binding commitment, not a formality - How IDEA works as a federal grant program, and the assurances your state signs every single year - What least restrictive environment means, and why quietly relaxed standards should concern every family - How to find out what your district actually spends on special education using open records - What Michelle learned filing two state complaints that were both substantiated Then we do the thing most people only talk about doing. We walk through how to fill out a state complaint, step by step. You don't know what you don't know, but you need to. This is why we sit at the table prepared. Want to go deeper? Inside Special Education Academy we break down every page of the IEP, your procedural rights, and how to navigate and negotiate successful student outcomes. Start at specialeducationacademy.com. About our guest: Michelle Williams is a 26-year veteran educator who is taking her fight for public education and students with disabilities to the policy level as a candidate for Texas State Representative. To learn more about her campaign or support her work, visit https://michelleforstaterep.com. This episode is educational training, not legal advice. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2464872/support] ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy [https://academy.specialeducationacademy.com/theepiciep-courses/the-academy/] First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: * TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@specialeducationboss] & Instagram: @specialeducationboss * YouTube: Special Education Academy [https://www.youtube.com/c/SpecialEducationAcademy/videos] 🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl [https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl] (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

Celebrating the Disability Community: Uniquely You Comes to North Houston (with Lauren Hasz & Brodie Simmons)

There's no shortage of information when you're raising a child with a disability. There's a shortage of trusted information you can actually use. In this episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham talks with Lauren Hasz and Brodie Simmons about Uniquely You, a free magazine launching in North Houston that celebrates the disability community and connects families to real, vetted resources. They get into what makes this different: it's free, it's opt-in, it comes in print and digital, and every cover celebrates an individual or family navigating disability, birth to 100+. Karen, Lauren, and Brodie talk about the resources families actually need, the businesses that serve this community in person and virtually, and why the adult and transition "capacity stories" we never hear are some of the most important ones to tell. Whether you're a parent, an advocate, a provider, or a business owner who wants to reach and support this community, this conversation shows you where to start. WATCH THE FULL EPISODE https://youtu.be/FIx0zHzRPxY GET INVOLVED WITH UNIQUELY YOU NORTH HOUSTON (launching 2026) Subscribe FREE to the magazine: https://forms.gle/ePkhizd7aT7tY15A8 Nominate a story or refer a business: https://forms.gle/jEncgnc6cfpzXvxW8 Learn more: https://www.uniquelyyoumag.com/ Reach Lauren directly: lauren.hasz@n2co.com New episodes of Special Education Boss drop every Tuesday. Follow, rate, and share with a family who needs it. Questions for the show? advocate@specialeducationacademy.com Learn with us: https://specialeducationacademy.com When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. - Karen Mayer Cunningham Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2464872/support] ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy [https://academy.specialeducationacademy.com/theepiciep-courses/the-academy/] First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: * TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@specialeducationboss] & Instagram: @specialeducationboss * YouTube: Special Education Academy [https://www.youtube.com/c/SpecialEducationAcademy/videos] 🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl [https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl] (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

Where Are All the Special Education Attorneys? The Truth About Reading, IEPs, and Enforcement — with Diane Dragan

Where Are All the Special Education Attorneys? The Truth About Reading, IEPs, and Enforcement — with Diane Dragan There are millions of children in this country with an IEP. And by attorney Diane Dragan's count, maybe a thousand lawyers nationwide are willing to take these cases to court. Sit with that. In this episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham sits down with Diane Dragan — special education attorney, founder of Dragan Law Firm in St. Louis, and host of the Litigating Literacy podcast. Diane didn't set out to do this work. She was a federal public defender until her own three children were diagnosed with dyslexia and she ran into the same wall every parent hits: "Your diagnosis means nothing. He's doing good enough." So she became the attorney she couldn't find. This is a straight-talk conversation about how special education actually works — and why so many families feel like the system is built to exhaust them before they can hold it accountable. WHAT WE GET INTO - Why there are almost no special education attorneys, and the financial reality that keeps it that way - The reading crisis: why 40%+ of kids need explicit, systematic phonics — and why so many schools stopped teaching it - Balanced literacy vs. structured literacy, and the "just right book" myth - The teacher-training gap: how educators are sent in as generalists without the specialized instruction their students need - Poorly written IEP goals — sight words before phonics, missing oral reading fluency norms, and goals that don't match need - Enforcement: why schools only follow the law when it becomes more expensive not to — and who actually enforces a due process win (often, no one) - Independent Educational Evaluations: your right to a free second opinion, and why current data changes everything - How to build a "suspicion of disability" using your own state's learning standards - The tutoring trap: how tutoring at home can skew the data and let the school take credit - When a family needs an advocate vs. an attorney - Why "fixing" a bad IEP can wreck a case before it starts - The "good relationship" myth, and what the internal emails actually say Whether you're a parent, an advocate, or an educator at the table, this one will change how you read every IEP that lands in front of you. You don't know what you don't know — but you need to. This is why we sit at the table prepared. A note: This conversation is educational. We're not giving legal advice — we're educating you. For advice about your specific situation, talk to a qualified attorney in your state. More on Diane: Dragan Law Firm, LLC (St. Louis, MO) — https://www.draganlawfirm.com — or find her Litigating Literacy podcast. LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE Special Education Boss with Karen Mayer Cunningham — new episodes weekly. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-education-boss-with-karen-mayer-cunningham/id1805933912 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/03I43tikXlYvR6xIe3F24w Buzzsprout: https://specialeducationboss.buzzsprout.com iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/271518986/ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d75378a3-0f8b-4fd1-989b-67a5723b5377 Learn with us at Special Education Academy: https://specialeducationacademy.com Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2464872/support] ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy [https://academy.specialeducationacademy.com/theepiciep-courses/the-academy/] First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: * TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@specialeducationboss] & Instagram: @specialeducationboss * YouTube: Special Education Academy [https://www.youtube.com/c/SpecialEducationAcademy/videos] 🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl [https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl] (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...

When Advocacy Isn't Enough: Special Education Due Process Explained (with Attorney Maria McGinley)

No parent sits down at the IEP table hoping for a fight. And no family ever says, "I cannot wait to go to due process." But when advocacy alone is not getting your child what they need, you deserve to understand what comes next. In this episode of Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham, Karen sits down with special education attorney Maria McGinley for an honest, practical look at special education dispute resolution: mediation, state complaints, and due process. Maria brings a rare perspective to the table. She is a former special education teacher, a practicing attorney, and a parent who has navigated the IEP process for her own child. Together they unpack what every parent and advocate should understand before a dispute escalates, including: - Why advocacy always comes first, and due process is the last resort - What due process actually is, an administrative trial, not Law and Order, and the emotional and financial toll it carries - Why your paper trail is your evidence, and your memory is not - How to respond to your IEP and the district's deliberations in writing - What the Endrew F. decision means for "meaningful progress" - Burden of proof, and why it matters which state you are in - Independent Educational Evaluations, recording IEP meetings, and knowing when it is time to bring in an attorney This is educational training, not legal advice. The goal, as always, is to help you sit at the table prepared. Have a question for our team? Email advocate@specialeducationacademy.com. Explore the Academy at specialeducationacademy.com. Guest: Maria McGinley, Esq. — mlgsped.com When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everyone. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2464872/support] ✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨ 👩‍⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss® Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence. 👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week! 🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources 🔗 Learn more at The Epic IEP™ Academy [https://academy.specialeducationacademy.com/theepiciep-courses/the-academy/] First month free, after that, cancel anytime.  📱 Follow Karen on: * TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@specialeducationboss] & Instagram: @specialeducationboss * YouTube: Special Education Academy [https://www.youtube.com/c/SpecialEducationAcademy/videos] 🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game? Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence. 📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl [https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl] (As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) Because when...