Can They Drop the IEP by Phone? Remove Kids on Test Day? Skip Resource? No, No, and No.

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham
Can They Drop the IEP by Phone? Remove Kids on Test Day? Skip Resource? No, No, and No.
Apr 23, 2026 Season 2 Episode 140
Karen Mayer Cunningham, Special Education Boss®

Can a teacher call you on the phone and ask if you want to drop your IEP and go to a 504? Can the school relocate self-contained students because they are too loud during state testing? Can your principal tell you the campus does not have resource?

No. No. And absolutely not.

HERE'S WHAT KAREN COVERS:

→ Why resource rooms are required under IDEA 300.115 and what to do if your school says they eliminated resource
→ The two MDR questions both must be answered — and what happens when the school tries to skip the second one
→ Compensatory services explained — who owes the time, who serves the time, and how to structure it
→ Relocating self-contained students on state testing days is illegal — that is an out-of-placement violation
→ Educational need vs. academic need — why a disability does not have to affect academics to qualify for services
→ Dysgraphia vs. written expression — why the eligibility matters more than the label
→ The Epic IEP Educator Academy launches June 1st — $27 per month, Monday nights at 7 PM Central, solely for school district employees
→ Can IEP students receive failing grades? Can kindergartners be placed in self-contained for behaviors? What is the difference between logs and data?

You don't know what you don't know — but you need to.
This is why we sit at the table prepared.

GET THE EPIC IEP BOOK BUNDLE — including the Epic IEP, the Federal and State Laws Guide, and the Epic IEP Para.

JOIN SPECIAL EDUCATION ACADEMY — first month free, 400+ hours of training, live every Monday at 8 PM Central.

2-DAY LIVE SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVOCACY INTENSIVE — May 23 and 24


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👩‍⚖️ 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.

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Because when...

Episode Artwork Can They Drop the IEP by Phone? Remove Kids on Test Day? Skip Resource? No, No, and No. 1:12:56 Episode Artwork Procedural Safeguards, Child Find, Prior Written Notice, and Parent Rights in Special Education 1:22:05 Episode Artwork Can a Paraprofessional replace a special educatin teacher? 1:20:25 Episode Artwork The Para Problem: What Every Parent and Advocate Needs to Know Right Now 1:01:34 Episode Artwork Paras, Pain Plans & the Truth Nobody Told You | Ask the Advocate 54:49 Episode Artwork From Struggle to Strength: ADHD, Dyslexia & Real-World Success 27:58 Episode Artwork Vision Impairment in Special Education, What Parents and IEP Teams Must Know 1:04:15 Episode Artwork Ask the Advocate: IEP Questions Parents Are Asking Right Now 1:00:25 Episode Artwork From Classroom to Advocate: What Schools Do When You Bring an Advocate to the IEP Table 54:10 Episode Artwork IEP Implementation, ESY & Compensatory Services | Ask the Advocate LIVE 48:41 Episode Artwork RTI Is NOT a Gatekeeper + Why Schools Can’t Delay Evaluations (Live Q&A Fire) 1:06:20 Episode Artwork From 504s to One-on-Ones: Real Talk from the IEP Table | Special Education Boss® 1:20:45 Episode Artwork IEP Meetings, Procedural Safeguards & What Schools Don’t Want to Put in Writing | Ask the Advocate 41:06 Episode Artwork Ask the Advocate: Compensatory Services, Eligibility Traps, IEP Teams & School Pushback 25:15 Episode Artwork “Paras Can’t Take Data”? Let’s Finish the Sentence. | Ask the Advocate 1:06:11 Episode Artwork When Schools Say “No”: AAC Updates, Triennials, Toileting Support, and Your IEP Rights (Q&A) 56:39 Episode Artwork Stop Playing the “Draft IEP” Game + Why Paras Can’t Replace Certified SPED Minutes 58:49 Episode Artwork Behavior Is Communication: Safety, Structure & Relationship with John Vergara 44:53 Episode Artwork Ask the Advocate: Recording IEP Meetings, Paras, Inclusion, FAPE & Out-of-District Placement 1:02:37 Episode Artwork Ask the Advocate: Truancy, One-to-One Aides, LRE, and The Epic IEP Book 53:36 Episode Artwork Ask the Advocate: IEP Data, 504 vs IEP, Behavior, RTI, and Comp Time Q&A 56:47 Episode Artwork Cold Reads Don’t Lie: An Epic IEP Story Every Parent Needs to Hear 6:19 Episode Artwork When Vision Minutes Go Wrong: How to Use Data to Fix an Epic IEP 6:36 Episode Artwork Why Disagreement Isn’t Disrespect: A Real IEP Story 5:37 Episode Artwork Epic IEP Meetings Gone Wild: Services, LRE, Vision Minutes & Telling the Truth About Data 7:12