Pierce Advocacy Solutions
IEP Support and Special Education Advocacy for Families
Helping Families Navigate the IEP Process with Clarity and Confidence
Our Services
Pre-Meeting
Record Review
This is a critical step. We need to know where things got off track to understand how to get them back on. Prior IEPs or 504s, evaluations, assessments, behavior and attendance logs, school / home communications - we want as much as you have so we can get the clearest possible picture. Once this is done, we plan for next steps. We will always go over your options, but you will tell us what direction you want to go in.
The Meeting
Meeting Attendance
We attend the meeting with you. You decide if that's in person or virtually. We introduce ourselves as the advocate representing your child and family. We've introduced ourselves via email ahead of time, so they know we're on your team, but now they get to meet us. We always want to collaborate but are always prepared to advocate. We prepare with you ahead of time, you call the shots and determine the direction. In over 20 years of practice, we have never walked out of a meeting with a parent without them noting how much differently the meeting felt with someone else at the table.
Parent / Caregiver Coaching
We Prep You
Some parents worry that bringing an advocate could make things too adversarial. We understand. We will prep you to respond to the things you tell us trip you up in the moment. Questions you're not sure how to answer or observations you don't know how to respond to. We want to help you frame your child's behavior as an unmet need as opposed to a defiant behavior. We want you to feel heard and respected as an equal member of the team.
Workshops & Speaking:
Turning School Language into
Advocacy Tools
Schools rely on data, documentation, and specific language when making decisions. Parents are given this information but not shown how to use it.
These trainings will help participants:
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Understand how schools interpret behavior and data
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Identify how discipline reflects unmet needs and how that could indicate a Child Find obligation that has gone unidentified
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Use school documentation to support requests for additional interventions, accommodations, or student supports
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Communicate in a way that is collaborative and effective
When parents understand the system's language, they are better equipped to advocate for meaningful supports.
Behavior
This is a huge part of our practice, because it's the top issue parents struggle with regarding their children at school. We have decades of experience with:
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
This is Best Practice if a student's behavior is interfering with their learning or the learning of other students. It's a formal process and we can help you understand how it should be conducted.
MANIFESTATION DETERMINATION REVIEW (MDR) or SCHOOL BOARD HEARING for LONG-TERM REMOVAL
An MDR is an emergency. They tend to happen quickly, and you need to get support or guidance as soon as possible to protect your child's right to stay in school.
School Board Hearings are typically held after an MDR, so you have more notice. We have represented dozens of families in both of these situations.
Positive Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP, PBSP)
These are called a lot of different things, but they are based on the information collected in the FBA. It's a living plan that is open to adjustment at any time depending on how it's working or not. This plan needs to be implemented with 100% fidelity to determine if it will be effective or not. We can help you interpret the data that is supposed to be collected.
Suspension / Expulsion
The term suspension is incredibly important and can be vital to your child receiving FAPE (free appropriate public education). It's critical that you know the legal (MDE - Michigan Dept of Education) definition of the term suspension and how your child's school keeping those "unofficial" may not be what's best for your child.
School Refusal / Avoidance / Truancy
School avoidance/refusal can be due to mental or emotional health issues. There are districts that will threaten or charge parents and youth with truancy in an effort to compel attendance. We have consulted with districts on collaborative plans to get students back in the building and back to class in a way that works for everyone.
OUR SUPPORT IS FOCUSED ON KEEPING YOUR CHILD IN SCHOOL OR GETTING THEM BACK IN SCHOOL SO THEY RECIEVE THE FAPE THEY'RE ENTITLED TO
Seclusion / Restraint
These interventions are ONLY to be used in the most dire of situations. They are intended to be used for very short periods of time and only by highly trained personnel. These situations need to be addressed with district staff so behavior supports can be provided.