The Power of "No"

"No" is an incredible word, when used judiciously.  We have had occasion to say "no" to changes in our children's IEPs.  When we say "no" to changes we say "yes" to stay put.  Many district will not however, enact stay put unless the parents specifically request stay put.  I always make it a point to tell all at the IEP meeting that I am requesting that they initiate stay put until such time that we come to an agreement, sometimes this may be until we get an IEE (Independent Educational Evaluation) that confirms the districts belief that my child is no longer in need of or ready for a reduction in services.  I then follow this up with a letter just to be sure that they got my message.  If I wait, thinking they are giving a service as prescribed by law, I may find out months later that they did not do as requested, so I do everything in my power to be sure that services are being provided as they must by law be given.