Back to School, Back to the IEP Table: Rapid-Fire Q&A for 2025-2026

It's August 2025, and we’re back to school and back to the IEP and 504 tables! In this episode of Ask the Advocate, Karen Mayer Cunningham, the Special Education Boss®, takes questions live and delivers rapid-fire answers, real-talk strategies, and expert insight to get your year started right.

Whether you're prepping for a first IEP meeting, navigating an out-of-place placement, wondering about compensatory services, or trying to understand cell phone exemptions in Texas, this episode covers it all, with a little humor and a whole lot of clarity.

🟡 Topics Covered:

• ✅ What to request before your IEP meeting (and how)
• ✅ Why promotion language does not belong in the IEP
• ✅ Tips for advocating for a child with cerebral palsy
• ✅ How to write strong IEP goals for developmental gaps
• ✅ The purpose of a “Zac Pack” for Kindergarten transitions
• ✅ Clarifying inclusion responsibilities + para roles
• ✅ Graduation, electives, and accommodations: what’s legal?
• ✅ IDEA violations, denials of FAPE, and when to demand comp ed
• ✅ Charter schools, self-contained myths, and why public school can work—if we get it right
• ✅ Should a parent work as a para for their own child? Why that’s a red flag
• ✅ What to do if your school is sending your child home for behavior
• ✅ How to start a career as an advocate (without a college degree)
• ✅ Push-in vs. pull-out supports, IEP meeting prep, and so much more

🟣 Karen also covers:

• The new Texas cell phone law and what counts as an IEP/504 exception
• What really makes a school “good” for students with disabilities
• Advice for brand-new SPED teachers stepping into messy programs
• What to do when you’re ghosted by the school
• Why special education advocacy is a calling—and why it matters now more than ever

🎧 Whether you're a parent, teacher, para, or aspiring advocate, this is your weekly dose of clarity, confidence, and community at the IEP table.

🛠️ Resources Mentioned:

• 📲 Download the Special Education Academy App — FREE in your app store!
• 🎓 Join The Academy
• 📚 Visit the Book Shelf (IEP Goal Writing Resource by Dr.

Support the show

✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨

👩‍⚖️ 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.

👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week!
🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources
🔗 Learn more at The Academy

📬 Have a question? Email us at [email protected]

📱 Follow Karen on:

• TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss
• YouTube: Special Education Academy

🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game?
Check out the Advocate's Bookshelf — a curated collection of must-have tools, guides, and legal references every special education advocate should own. From federal code to diagnostic manuals, these are the essentials that help you advocate with clarity and confidence.

📚 Browse now: https://amzn.to/3RiQPLl
(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.)

...