6159.3 — Appointment Of Surrogate Parent For Special Education Students (BP)
The official document
What the district published
This is the source material — exactly as released by RUSD. The plain English translation below is this site's version, written for community members who shouldn't need a budget degree to understand where their school dollars go.
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What this document actually says
This policy, adopted and last reviewed on September 13, 2022, authorizes the Superintendent or designee to appoint surrogate parents for special education students when needed to protect their legal rights. A surrogate parent is an appointed adult who acts on behalf of a student with disabilities when the biological parent is unavailable, unknown, or when parental rights have been limited (such as in foster care situations). The district must establish procedures for recruiting, training, and assigning qualified adults to serve in this role. This ensures every special education student has an adult advocate to participate in educational decisions, attend Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, and protect their rights under federal and state special education law (IDEA). Surrogate parents have the same decision-making authority as biological parents regarding the student's special education services.
What this means for your family
If your child with disabilities is in foster care or you are unable to participate in their special education decisions, the district will appoint a trained surrogate parent to represent your child's educational interests. This adult will attend IEP meetings and make educational decisions on behalf of your child, ensuring their special education rights are protected even when a biological parent cannot be involved.
Summaries are AI-assisted and based on the original district document shown above. Nothing has been editorialized — interpretations are clearly labeled. This site is maintained by Lina Godfrey's campaign as a community resource.