Facilitating an ARD meeting is a distinct role, one vastly different from the teacher, the administrator, or an attendee. Facilitation requires knowledge about many things:
1. SPED referral, review, and dismissal processes
2. Legal requirements and timelines
3. Paperwork supervision
4. Discussion management
5. Disagreement resolution
To have this depth of knowledge, preparation is required. Thorough and effective preparation requires time and access to resources.
An ARD Facilitator has effective skills in communication and relationship building and has coveted a multitude of strategies for compromise and conflict resolution.
So, to answer the question: Yes, a principal or a SPED teacher can facilitate ARD meetings.
- IF -
He or she is knowledgeable and prepared.
Do your principals and SPED teachers have the time to focus in-depth on individual cases, access to various resources to adequately prepare, in depth knowledge of the SPED process & related statute, and a well-developed skill set in interpersonal relations?
Ask them: In my experience, most of them will tell you that they are not comfortable facilitating ARD meetings.
Benefits of a Designated ARD Facilitator:
- Reduced likelihood of meeting outcomes that include confusion, frustration, mediation, or litigation.
- Increased likelihood that students receive the services necessary and appropriate to their individual needs.
- Strengthened school-family connection.
- Reduced stress on anxiety on other stakeholders.
- Increased staff, student, and family satisfaction.
A family has the right to request a facilitator for an ARD meeting, so why not have one ready to go already? Either appoint someone within your organization who has the responsibilities of ARD facilitation built into their job description and is given the time, training, and resources to do it well, or hire an independent contractor, like me. 😊
Click here for more information about ARD Facilitation from the Texas Education Agency. They emphasize Facilitators as keys to alternative dispute resolution; a good facilitator can prevent formal mediation or litigation.
TEA’s Office of General Counsel provides a document that outlines the legal obligations for facilitation as a tool in dispute resolution: The TEA Special Education Dispute Resolution Systems Handbook.
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