“He Has a Disability Every Day”: The Schedule-of-Services Fight You Won’t Believe

Welcome back to The Epic IEP™, where we share stories that are funny, frustrating, and absolutely fantastic — because they really happen at the IEP table.

In today’s episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham, Special Education Boss®, walks into what should have been a routine meeting… and instead ends up in a debate about whether a student needs support every day or only three days a week— even though his disability exists seven days a week.

When the team insists the student “isn’t focused,” “isn’t motivated,” and “could do it if he wanted,” Karen breaks down exactly why misunderstanding neurological disabilities leads to poor IEPs — and poor outcomes.

Karen explains why agreement based on limited knowledge is not informed consent and why the committee must adjust services when the student is not successful.

In this episode:

• Why “lack of motivation” is NOT a disability category
• What the Schedule of Services page should actually reflect
• Why a student needs support every day — not on mystery days of the week
• Conflicts you can expect when teams see disability as “choice”
• What it means to set a student up for destiny, not destruction

When you stay grounded in the law, the data, and the student’s actual needs, clarity always wins.

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