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Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

Karen Mayer Cunningham, Special Education boss®
Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham
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  • OSEP Letters, Part 2: The Truth About IEEs (Independent Educational Evaluations)
    In Session 2 of our OSEP Letters series, Karen Mayer Cunningham—The Special Education Boss®—breaks down Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs): what they are, when to request one, who chooses the evaluator, how districts must respond, and how to use OSEP guidance to keep your team compliant.Using the February 20, 2004 OSEP letter to Dr. Parker, Karen covers:When an IEE is triggered: after a parent disagrees with a district evaluation (or part of it).The exact language: “I disagree with the evaluation—its data, summary, and conclusion.”Who chooses the evaluator? The parent—not the district—within reasonable criteria.District “lists”: helpful but not binding. Parents can pick off-list evaluators who meet criteria.Costs & criteria: IEEs are at public expense; districts can set reasonable qualifications & location—not impose extra conditions/timelines.What if the district says “no”? They must without unnecessary delay either (1) file due process to defend their eval, or (2) fund the IEE.Reality check: Why forcing due process over an IEE is usually a bad district bet—and how to respond if they posture but never file.Important nuance: Districts must receive and consider IEE results, but are not required to implement every recommendation.Pro tips for choosing providers (experience, report quality, district familiarity) and red flags (open schedule tomorrow = 🚩).💡 Karen also shares how to attach OSEP letters to deliberations and state complaints to keep the legal guardrails visible for everyone at the table.👉 Keep learning with us:The Academy (weekly PD): https://www.skool.com/special-education-academy/aboutEPIC IEP Intensive – 2 Day Advocacy Intensive Training https://specialeducationacademy.com/trainingYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@specialeducationacademy“When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody.” — Karen Support the show✨ 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 Academy 📬 Have a question? Email us at [email protected] 📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss YouTube: Special Education Academy 🧠 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(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) ...
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  • Ask the Advocate: Recess Rights & Tough IEP Questions
    Happy Monday, Advocates! In this Ask the Advocate episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham—The Special Education Boss®—tackles another round of rapid-fire questions from parents, teachers, and advocates across the country. From recess rights to PCS plans, and from tardy notes to 1:1 aides, Karen brings clarity, humor, and real strategies you can use in the IEP/504 process today.✨ In this episode, you’ll learn:Why we don’t advocate by diagnosis (CP, autism, ADHD, etc.), but by the characteristics of the disability.Can schools take away recess as punishment?Supporting students in alternative placements for mental health.Do schools need a doctor’s note for every tardy/absence if there’s already a medical order?What is a PCS (Personal Care Supplement) and how it fits in the IEP.How long should it take for a district to respond to an evaluation request (hint: not three months!).Who writes speech/language vs. communication goals—teachers or SLPs?The OSEP January 2011 letter: why MTSS/RTI cannot delay testing.Why a 1:1 aide = a service under an IEP, not a 504.Who can serve as a 1:1—does it have to be a special education teacher?What to do if related services are being delivered virtually.Why EC buses must be door-to-door, not just to the stop sign.Can paras test students? What levels matter?Who actually writes the IEP—and do you need to be a certified SPED teacher?What to do when staff shortages mean IEP services aren’t being provided.Vocational rehab services: what’s good, what’s missing.The importance of data-driven placement decisions.And a reminder—advocacy means being a chainsaw, not just a squeaky wheel.👉 Join us for live professional development every Monday inside The Academy:Join The Academy👉 Register now for the EPIC IEP Intensive – Sept. 27–28, 2025:Register Here Support the show✨ 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 Academy 📬 Have a question? Email us at [email protected] 📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss YouTube: Special Education Academy 🧠 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(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) ...
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  • OSEP Letters, Part 1: Twice-Exceptional Students, SLD Eligibility & the End of “Severe Discrepancy”
    Karen kicks off a multi-part series on must-know guidance letters from the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Today’s focus: the Dec 20, 2013 letter about twice-exceptional (2e) students and how states may—and may not—determine Specific Learning Disability (SLD) eligibility under IDEA.What you’ll learn:Why high cognition does not disqualify a student from IDEA eligibility.The two-part test for IDEA eligibility (impairment + need for special education/related services).The 2004 IDEA reauthorization changes that matter (ESY, transition, removal of severe discrepancy requirement).What states must permit (RTI/response to scientific, research-based interventions) and what they must not require(a severe discrepancy).“Cut scores” and why one test or single metric cannot be the sole criterion.The nine academic areas (incl. dyslexia/reading domains) used when considering SLD.How to use the letter in meetings (and get it into deliberations) when schools say “the numbers are the numbers.”Why district “policies” can’t narrow federal rights—and how to ask for the actual board policy.Quote to remember: “We don’t educate to please the adults in the room—we educate to meet the needs of the child.”👉 Join ongoing trainings in The Academyhttps://www.skool.com/special-education-academy/about Support the show✨ 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 Academy 📬 Have a question? Email us at [email protected] 📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss YouTube: Special Education Academy 🧠 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(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) ...
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  • Ask the Advocate: Cell Phones, Resource Minutes, ESY, STAR Test & Tough IEP Questions
    What happens when a school tries to take away a diabetic student’s cell phone used for monitoring? Or when IEP goals are written at only the 20th percentile? Or when districts “table” evaluation requests for months?In this Ask the Advocate episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham—The Special Education Boss®—answers rapid-fire questions from parents and teachers, bringing clarity, humor, and straight talk to situations families face every day.✨ In this episode, you’ll learn:Why every child with diabetes needs an IEP and what travel training goals can look like.The truth about teachers acting as “advocates” and what’s legal vs. risky.How to file systemic complaints when paraprofessionals are pulled and minutes aren’t met.Why a goal at 20% fluency is never okay—and what baselines and progress monitoring should include.ESY: why the expectation is to maintain gains, not start from scratch.STAR testing: why it’s more about money than education (and why “nobody cares” about your score).“Homebound as needed”: what it does—and does not—mean.PWN: when you should demand it (spoiler: almost always).Why LRE is not synonymous with gen ed—and how to reframe the conversation.What to do if a teacher withholds food from your child (and why it’s never acceptable).👉 Join us for live professional development every Monday inside The Academy:Join The Academy👉 Register for The EPIC IEP Intensive – Sept. 27–28, 2025: Register Here👉 Subscribe and catch every new episode“When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody.” — Karen Mayer Cunningham Support the show✨ 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 Academy 📬 Have a question? Email us at [email protected] 📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss YouTube: Special Education Academy 🧠 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(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) ...
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  • Ask the Advocate: Transportation, Dyslexia, MDRs & IEP Meeting Notes
    Are your IEP meeting notes inaccurate? Has your child been placed on a 504 when you know an IEP is needed? Are you being told your student can’t get transportation or that grades prevent eligibility? You don’t know what you don’t know—but you need to.In this Ask the Advocate episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham, The Special Education Boss®, answers real parent and teacher questions about IDEA, IEPs, 504s, and procedural safeguards. She brings clarity, humor, and step-by-step advocacy strategies you can use immediately at the table.✨ In this episode, Karen covers:Transportation in the IEP – what districts must provide and how to respond if they refuse.Why “inaccurate” IEP meeting notes can and should be challenged.Dyslexia: why a 504 isn’t enough if a student needs specially designed instruction.Can schools excuse “late arrivals” as part of the IEP? Karen explains.MDRs: when they apply for IEPs and 504s.What to do when the district refuses accurate placement or predetermined services.Parent rights at age 18 – what changes, and what doesn’t.Why House Bill 4545 hours are optional (and how to decline them).Daily data collection sheets: how to request them and why they matter.Can services be delivered in homeschool/online settings? The truth about FAPE outside the school building.Testing, RTI/MTSS, and why delays violate civil rights.When and how to file state complaints or OCR complaints.👉 Join us every Monday night inside The Academy for live professional development: Join The Academy👉 Register for the EPIC IEP Intensive – 2-Day Advocacy Training (Sept. 27–28, 2025): Register Here Support the show✨ 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 Academy 📬 Have a question? Email us at [email protected] 📱 Follow Karen on: TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss YouTube: Special Education Academy 🧠 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(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.) ...
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About Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

The Special Education Boss® Podcast is where advocacy meets action. Join Karen Mayer Cunningham each week as she empowers parents and professionals to understand their rights, navigate the system, and show up strong at the IEP table.
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