IDEA '97 Transition Requirements: A Guide

Contents | Q and A Main: Section V | Section VI

1. Who is responsible for planning, coordinating, and providing transition services? What is the district's responsibility for ensuring that an agency is providing the services agreed upon in the IEP?

The student's public agency (usually the school district) of residence is responsible for ensuring that the student receives a free appropriate public education. Responsibilities for providing transition services may be assigned to different participants (e.g., school personnel, agency representatives or state, local and private agencies) at the IEP meeting, but the school district maintains responsibility for ensuring that the services listed on the student's IEP are provided. "If an agreed-upon service by another agency is not provided, the public agency responsible for the student's education must implement alternative strategies to meet the student's needs. This requires that the public agency provide the services, or convene an IEP meeting as soon as possible to identify alternative strategies to meet the transition services objectives, and to revise the IEP accordingly." (Appendix A, Question 12.) Alternative strategies may include the identification of another funding source or the public agency's identification of other district-wide or community resources that it can use to meet the student's identified needs appropriately.

2. How will a school district verify or know if services are not being provided?

A district could ensure that the services listed on the student's IEP, including those of participating agencies, are provided to the student in a number of ways. Suggestions include the following straegies: a district could hold regularly scheduled meetings between the participating agency and the district; a district could communicate with the participating agency through written progress reports; or the district and agency may make other arrangements that ensure the necessary communication between the district and the participating agency. Verification of services may also be obtained from the parent, the student, or the representative of the agency responsible for providing or paying for the service through telephone calls, interviews or during the annual IEP meeting.

3. Who is responsible for reconvening an IEP meeting when transition services are not being provided as indicated on the IEP? What is the purpose of the meeting? What are the timelines for reconvening the meeting?

"If a participating agency, other than the public agency, fails to provide the transition services described in the IEP in accordance with §300.347(b)(1), the public agency shall reconvene the IEP team to identify alternative strategies to meet the transition objectives for the student set out in the IEP." (34 CFR §300.348(a)) The meeting should be convened quickly to identify alternative strategies for providing the transition services outlined on the student's IEP, or if necessary, revise the student's IEP.

Contents | Q and A Main: Section V | Section VI