How do you work with families and what is your style?
How much do you charge?
How do families get started working with you?
Frequently Asked Questions
What services do you offer?
ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL MEETINGS: Seetha helps families and students to prepare for school meetings, and accompanies families to the school meetings. School meetings can be for eligibility for IEPs or 504 Plans, Annual Reviews, Progress meetings, Placement meetings, Discipline meetings, or meetings to consider outside evaluation reports, like a neuropsychological report. At meetings, Seetha helps you exercise your rights, and negotiates on your child’s behalf so the school meets your child’s needs. She goes into meetings prepared to make a strong case for what needs to be done, and why. She believes the best of the school team, while being prepared to deal with the worst. Whether its for IEPs, 504s, or kids not receiving services, it’s an approach that’s served her clients well and gets the job done.
PARENT CONSULTANT: Seetha consults with parents via Zoom or on the phone to go over evaluation report; discuss concerns, answer questions, and exchange information; when there is an incident or crisis related to school; prepare for school meetings; and go over school forms like IEPs, 504s, and other documents that require a parent signature; makes recommendations for outside evaluators like neuropsychologists and other providers when a second opinion is needed; partners with rap around teams like therapists; and makes recommendations for attorneys when warranted.
HELP WITH COMMUNICATION: In many case, it is helpful to communicate in writing, via email, to the school. The tone, content and frequency of parent communication to the school is crucial to supporting a child’s education. In addition, written responses to school proposals like evaluation proposals, IEPs and Placements, can help the school and parents to resolve concerns, so how these are expressed in an IEP or 504 response are important. Seetha helps parents draft such communications.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION: Seetha attends BSEA mediation with parents. She also files and responds to formal conplaints with PRS, and OCR when necessary. On occasion, Seetha has filed for BSEA hearing or responded to a BSEA hearing request from the school, though she usually advises hiring an attorney when the issues appear intractable and reach the limits of advocacy.
WORKING WITH ATTORNEYS AND COLLATERALS: If an attorney is part of the parent team, Seetha provides advocacy services under the guidance of the attorney. If a student has a wraparound team, Seetha consults with them so that the parent-side team is all on the same page.
How do you work with parents and what is your style?
Seetha’s style is collaborative. She works closely with parents at every stage of the special education or 504 process. She has found from experience that intermittent consultancy is not as effective for the student as proactive engagement throughout the process. Review and repair of mishaps when an advocate is available, but not consulted, can cost parents just as much, or more, than doing things right the first time. At meetings Seetha asks questions, makes requests, and takes notes, taking the burden off parents. Seetha also helps parents prepare written statements of parent concerns ahead of meetings, so that these concerns can be addressed at the meeting. Finally, Seetha partners with wraparound teams like therapists; outside evaluators like neuropsychologists; and special education attorneys as needed.
How much do you charge?
Please schedule a call with Seetha to learn her current charge. The initial half-hour consult is free. After that, once parents decide to proceed, Seetha aprovides an advocacy agreement for parents to review and sign. The agreement involves upfront payment for the first five hours or work, after which any additional fees are billed at the end of the month. Sliding fees are available for families of children eligible for a free or reduced lunch.
How do families get stared working with you?
After an advocacy agreement is signed, Seetha reviews documents before making a plan with parents Documents that parents gather and share with Seetha include all school evaluations; all outside diagnoses and evaluations; previous two years; IEPs/504, Progress Repors, Report Cards, discipline and attendance records, and relevant correspondence.
Seetha serves clients within a 50-mile radius of Boston. Payment plans and sliding-scale fees are available.
Call for a free consultation.