Brighton Center helps parents, schools, and students with educational planning. Our Consultants have experience working with parents and students with disabilities and have extensive knowledge about state and federal laws as well as different approaches and resources available for helping students achieve success. These individualized support services are comprehensive, including the initial meeting with a Brighton Center Consultant, review of all documents, and attendance at requested school meetings. Throughout the rest of this consent form, our Consultants are referred to as "the Consultant" and parents/legal guardians are referred to as "Client".

•In-depth analysis of a student's current or proposed Individualized Education Program (IEP), 504 Planand/or student records

•Facilitating collaboration between family, school, and community providers

•Guiding parents through the special education process/laws and helping parents understand their rightsand the rights of their children

•Consulting alongside parents at IEP, 504, Manifestation Determination Review (MDR) meetings,andother meetings as needed.

•Ensuring and maintaining a child-centered process with parents and schools while creating an IEP or504 Plan that meets their student’s needs

•Assistance drafting emails or letters to schools as needed

•Preparing parents

The process begins with an initial consultation meeting with your assigned Consultant. Due to demand, it may be necessary at times to assign consultation meetings to another consultant, but the case will be transferred to your assigned Consultant for the ARD meeting. You will be expected to send all pertinent information (listed below) to ensure that this meeting is productive and accomplishes the goal of preparation for the next ARD and/or next steps in the process. There is a fee for this service, and will need to be paid at the time you schedule your consultation meeting. It is necessary that payment for the consultation meeting be made at this time to reserve a specific time slot with your assigned Consultant.

Currently, this does not apply as you are transitioning from Brighton Center's ECI Program to Brighton Center's Special Education Support Services Program. This service is at no-cost to you through your first consult and ARD meeting. The costs listed below are future costs if you continue with services.

Financial assistance is available to those who qualify. Please complete the emailed Financial Assistance Application. Brighton Center can provide up to 75% financial assistance to families. The actual amount of assistance is calculated based on family size and income.

All payments and fees are non-refundable. If the client cancels the payment is forfeited. If a client reschedules an appointment more than twice, the payment is forfeited. A new fee will be applied if a new meeting or consultation is scheduled after either of these situations.

• The Consultant will ask you to recount the critical parts of the journey you have been on with your child, including his or her strengths and needs and you and the Consultant will work together to piece the puzzle together.

• If your child has a current IEP or 504 plan, the Consultant will conduct a detailed analysis of the plan. They will make recommendations for what might be missing or needing to be changed. The current situation will be discussed, possible, realistic strategies will be explored, and your initial Individualized Action Plan will be reviewed with you.

•The Individualized Action Plan will outline the services the Consultant will provide, the client's consultation goals and the responsibilities clients will have.

•Depending on your needs, this appointment may last 30 minutes - 1.5 hours. When appropriate, the consultant will also speak with the child during the intake meeting to gain a sense of his or her understanding of his or her disability, what he or she thinks is helpful/not helpful or would be helpful/not helpful, and to begin to know the child behind all the data and forms.

Depending on your needs and as part of the Individualized Action Plan (IAP), the Consultant may ask you to talk with your child's teachers, therapists, and any outside providers or request that you take action prior to your child’s scheduled ARD meeting. Fulfilling all assigned responsibilities outlined in the Individualized Action Plan and keeping in contact with the Consultant is necessary to ensure quality of service.

Your assigned Consultant may also attend your child’s ARD meeting with you to assist you in advocating effectively for your child based on the Individualized Action Plan. There is a fee for this service based on your household income and family size. Services are contingent upon receiving payment.

•Free parents from feeling like they have to face schools alone and uninformed with support from an experienced and objective professional and instead parents can focus on their child during the ARD meeting.

•Parents can learn more about the special education process and the laws that protect their rights and their children's rights.

•Give parents a place where they can share their frustrations honestly and receive information, encouragement, and trusted feedback.

•The Consultant works to help facilitate a collaborative relationship with schools.

•The Consultant works to help schools and parents move beyond places of "position" and emotions to arrive at solutions that are child-centered and appropriate according to the student’s needs and legal definitions.

•Help parents learn how to become the kind of empowered and informed advocate their child needs.

•Your Consultant will be fully prepared to advocate for you to achieve the desired outcome for your child. However, due to the nature of consultation work, your desired outcome may not be achieved for avariety of reasons and you may need to take further action.

•The Consultant is unable to guarantee any particular outcome.

•The Consultant may make recommendations or conclusions that parents are not ready or willing toexamine (such as recommending mental health care treatment, obtaining legal services, or determiningthe school's actions are entirely reasonable and appropriate).

•The Consultant will not arrange meeting times with schools or make any decisions for you. All communication with the school will be made by the parent with your assigned Consultant copied on the email. Please note that any decisions or arrangements must be made by you as the parent. We advise that you coordinate potential meeting times with your Consultant BEFORE suggesting dates to school.

•The Consultant may arrive at conclusions that are not what parents were expecting.

•Please note, parents may experience uncomfortable emotions during the consultation process.

•Consultants are unable to represent families in Due Process hearings. If you need to engage an attorneyfor Due Process, we can provide a list of potential attorneys but do not recommend attorneys as that isan individual decision for each case.

•Consultants are not case managers. If you need assistance with resources not related to your child’seducation, the Consultant will provide possible resources and options.

The Consultant agrees to return phone calls and emails in a timely manner and will make every effort to return phone calls and emails within 72 hours. Communication with the Consultant will only occur during the regular business hours of Monday through Friday from 8am-5pm. If your call or email comes in on a weekend, holiday or during the Consultants scheduled time off these timelines may be extended for a return email or call. If your child is 18 years or over, they are legally able to make decisions regarding their education and MUST attend all consultation and ARD meetings with you UNLESS you provide your Consultant with proof of guardianship. In the event that a meeting or ARD is canceled or rescheduled, we require a 24-hour notice. Depending on the time of year, it may be difficult for Consultants to rearrange their schedules, and good communication of meeting times is necessary to assure that you will be represented appropriately.

The Consultant agrees to keep all client and student information confidential, except in those circumstances where required by State Statutes to report the occurrence or likely occurrence of homicide, suicide, physical assault, sexual assault, or child abuse. As a Consultant works with other professional Consultants, the Consultant may sometimes consult (talk) with another Brighton Center professional about your case. This other person is also required by professional ethics to keep your information private.

The Consultant agrees to maintain personally identifiable information and comply with HIPAA and FERPA regulations regarding the protection and confidentiality of information relating to your child. As such, the Consultant will send all emails to you through encrypted email. This will require you to create a free account to view all emails received from your Consultant.

The Client agrees to provide consent to the Consultant to communicate directly with the school or medical/psychological providers on the parent’s behalf, in the event this becomes necessary and share information that would otherwise be protected by FERPA and/or HIPAA. The Consultant will not communicate with the school without the client’s knowledge.

The Consultant provides guidance, training, consultation, advocacy, records analysis, and recommendations based on experience and knowledge background. The Consultant will make every effort to support clients in obtaining appropriate educational services for their child but cannot guarantee any particular outcome. The Consultant and its employer, Brighton Center, shall not be held liable to the client for any acts or omissions in the performance of services, except when such acts or omissions are due to willful misconduct or due negligence. The client shall hold the Consultant and its employer, Brighton Center, free from any loss, claims, damages, judgments, attorney's fees, costs, and obligations arising from services provided by the Consultant unless such loss resulted from the Consultant is found guilty of willful misconduct or due negligence in a court of law.