Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham
The Special Education Boss® Podcast is where advocacy meets action. Join Karen Mayer Cunningham each week as she empowers parents and professionals to understand their rights, navigate the system, and show up strong at the IEP table.
Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham
The ESY Myth That Stops Services: Why “Regression Only” Is Wrong
Welcome back to The Epic IEP™, where we share real stories from the IEP table — the fantastic, the frustrating, and the downright funny.
In today's episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham, Special Education Boss®, walks you through a 6:20 AM Zoom meeting that was supposed to be “quick and easy”… until it wasn’t.
A visually impaired and orthopedically impaired student needed ESY. The team said no. Why? Because they believed the #1 myth in special education — that ESY requires documented regression only.
But IDEA has two prongs, and only one of them deals with regression.
Karen breaks down what really happened in that meeting ...
In this episode:
- The two legal prongs of ESY — and why districts miss the second one
- Why ESY is for maintenance, not gains
- How to pause a meeting, regroup, and get accurate information
- What to say when they “can’t find your name” on the signature page (“try under swimwear model”)
- How clarity, humor, and the law keep teams anchored in what’s best for the child
It’s a reminder that even early-morning meetings can change a child’s access and opportunities — when decisions are made based on facts, not feelings.
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Your roadmap for writing, understanding, and implementing IEPs that actually work — complete with QR codes for templates, tools, and real advocacy resources.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1637635125?tag=simonsayscom
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✨ 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.
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