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Columbia School Board Considers Expanding Transparency in IEP Meetings

Levi Moltz-Hohmann

The Columbia Board of Education is considering altering its policy under which students with disabilities and their parents are banned from recording audio or video during specific meetings with Columbia Public Schools staff. These meetings - known as Individualized Education Program meetings - provide an opportunity for qualifying students to create an in-depth plan with their educators and other staff.

The board met on Monday and heard opinions from a number of concerned Columbia residents on how audio or visual recordings from these conferences might aid students with disabilities and their parents. While IEP meetings vary in frequency and length depending on the needs of each individual student, the meetings can prove to be demanding according to Christina Ingoglia, a concerned parent who spoke out at Monday’s meeting.

“They can be hours long. We receive a lot of emotional information about our child, and so this is a project that is very important to me because I want to make sure I understood everything that happened in that meeting so that I can advocate for my daughter,” said Ingoglia.

The board is still evaluating if and how a recording process will be implemented into IEP meetings, taking into consideration the potential cost to the city and the unique privacy concerns that it raises.

The Columbia Missourian has more on this story.