Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

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Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

Karen Mayer Cunningham, Special Education boss®

59 episodes

1 day ago

What exactly is an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE), and when should you request one? In this episode of Special Education Boss®, Karen Mayer Cunningham breaks down the facts about IEEs under IDEA and why they matter for parents, advocates, and educators. We’ll cover: The legal foundation of IEEs (IDEA §300.502)What an IEE is — and what it is NOTWhen to request an IEE (and when not to)How schools grant, deny, or push to due processCommon pitfalls with outside evaluationsWhat parents s...

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What exactly is an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE), and when should you request one? In this episode of Special Education Boss®, Karen Mayer Cunningham breaks down the facts about IEEs under IDEA and why they matter for parents, advocates, and educators. We’ll cover: The legal foundation of IEEs (IDEA §300.502)What an IEE is — and what it is NOTWhen to request an IEE (and when not to)How schools grant, deny, or push to due processCommon pitfalls with outside evaluationsWhat parents s...

Show more...

Episodes (20/59)

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

Understanding Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs) in Special Education

What exactly is an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE), and when should you request one? In this episode of Special Education Boss®, Karen Mayer Cunningham breaks down the facts about IEEs under IDEA and why they matter for parents, advocates, and educators. We’ll cover: The legal foundation of IEEs (IDEA §300.502)What an IEE is — and what it is NOTWhen to request an IEE (and when not to)How schools grant, deny, or push to due processCommon pitfalls with outside evaluationsWhat parents s...

1 day ago

28 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

Falsified Service Logs, Shortened Days, and IEP Complaints Explained | Special Education Boss®

This week on Special Education Boss®, Karen Mayer Cunningham tackles tough parent and teacher questions that expose what really happens inside IEP and 504 meetings. From falsified service logs to shortened school days, denials of services, and lack of staff training—Karen breaks down exactly what you can do, what the law says, and how to respond with confidence. In this episode, Karen covers: What to do if your school falsifies service logsShortened school days and when they violate IDEAThe s...

2 days ago

42 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

IEP & 504 Q&A: Resource Classes, Behavior Goals, Health Plans, and More

In this Special Education Boss® episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham tackles your top special education questions—cutting through the confusion with clear, direct answers on IEPs, 504s, data collection, medical needs, and more. 🔥 Highlights include: College & Resource Classes: Does being in a resource setting impact college admissions—and how to make up missing credits.Behavior Goals That Work: Why “weekly data collection” is critical and who should be tracking it.Health Plans in Schools: When...

6 days ago

45 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

IEP & 504 Q&A: Placement, Accommodations, Modifications, and Advocacy Tips

In this powerful IEP & 504 Q&A episode of Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham, we tackle YOUR real-world special education questions—straight from the comments—about eligibility, accommodations, modifications, evaluations, placement, behavior, related services, and more. Karen breaks down complicated situations into clear, actionable strategies so parents, advocates, and educators can navigate and negotiate at the IEP/504 table with confidence. From early childhood thr...

1 week ago

54 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

Parents’ Procedural Rights – Part 1: Procedural Safeguards & Child Find

Karen Mayer Cunningham, the Special Education Boss®, kicks off a new series on Parents’ Procedural Rights under IDEA. In this episode, she explains what procedural safeguards really are, why the Child Find mandate is the foundation of special education, and how to protect your rights at the IEP/504 table. You’ll learn: When schools must provide you a Notice of Procedural Safeguards and what makes it currentWhy it must be in your native languageHow divorced or dual-parent rights affect IEP inv...

1 week ago

35 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

Back-to-School Special Education Q&A: IEP Meetings, Teacher Certification, and Advocacy Tips

It’s August, it’s hot, and it’s time to talk about starting the school year strong! In this special Ask the Advocate Q&A, Karen Mayer Cunningham — the Special Education Boss® — answers real questions from parents, educators, and advocates on everything from calling IEP meetings to checking teacher credentials. You’ll hear how to: Identify real reasons to call an IEP meeting (and avoid wasting time)Make sure accommodations start the first day of schoolHandle uncertified or unqualified staf...

1 week ago

58 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

504 vs. IEP: Why the Difference Changes Everything

What’s the real difference between a 504 Plan and an IEP? According to Karen Mayer Cunningham, the answer is simple: everything. In this powerful episode of Special Education Boss®, Karen unpacks the critical distinctions between a Section 504 Plan and an Individualized Education Program (IEP)—and why settling for a 504 when your child needs an IEP can set them up for failure instead of success. You’ll learn: Why a 504 is not an education plan—and what that means for your childWhat an IEP act...

1 week ago

10 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

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...

2 weeks ago

51 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

Understanding Evaluations: What Every Parent and Advocate Needs to Know

Evaluations are the foundation of every IEP, and most parents, advocates, and even school staff don’t realize how many sections are involved, what’s legally required, or how much can go wrong when pieces are skipped. In this episode of Special Education Boss®, Karen Mayer Cunningham walks you through the full scope of educational evaluations, breaking down each required component and the common mistakes families face. You’ll learn: The difference between formal and informal evaluations (and w...

2 weeks ago

1 hour 3 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

Diagnosis vs. Eligibility: What Every Advocate Needs to Know

Welcome back to Special Education Boss®! In this power-packed training episode from Day 1 of “How to Advocate for Anyone,” Karen Mayer Cunningham unpacks one of the most misunderstood areas in special education: the difference between medical diagnosis and educational need, and why it matters at the IEP table. Key takeaways: Differentiate between medical, therapeutic, and educational modelsNavigate eligibility categories, comorbidities, and eligibility orderDecode the true meaning of a ...

2 weeks ago

32 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

Divorce, Disability & IEPs: What Every Parent Needs to Know with Mary Ann Hughes

What happens when a parent of two children with autism faces divorce during IEP transition years? In this episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham, the Special Education Boss®, sits down with Mary Ann Hughes, Certified Special Needs Divorce Coach and founder of Special Family Transitions. From navigating divorce while parenting children with disabilities to building lifelong support plans, Mary Ann shares practical tools, real-life insights, and hope for parents walking a complex path. This conversati...

2 weeks ago

27 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

From Special Ed Teacher to Advocate: Rachel Mottern’s Story of Bold, Brave Transition

From the classroom to the conference table—today’s episode is one of full-circle purpose. Karen Mayer Cunningham, the Special Education Boss®, is joined by the amazing Rachel Mottern, a former special education teacher turned full-time national advocate, for a powerful and heartfelt conversation you won’t forget. Rachel shares her journey from struggling with dyslexia as a child to becoming a teacher, earning her master's at Vanderbilt (yes, the #1 program in the nation), and eventually reali...

3 weeks ago

34 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

How to Request and Navigate Special Education Testing & Evaluations

How to Request Special Education Testing + What Happens Next Special Education Boss® Podcast | Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham Confused about how to get your child tested for special education services? You’re not alone—and you’re in the right place. In this powerhouse episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham, The Special Education Boss®, breaks down what every parent, educator, and advocate needs to know about requesting and navigating special education evaluations. 📚 We’re covering: ✅ How to reques...

3 weeks ago

1 hour 2 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

Writing Measurable, Meaningful IEP Goals

How to Ditch SMART Goals, Align with Present Levels, and Meet the Endrew F. Standard Most IEP goals aren’t measurable—and that’s a big problem. In this episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham is joined by Dr. Mitchell Yell, special education expert, professor, and hearing officer, to break down how to write IEP goals that actually meet legal standards and support real student progress. Together, they cover: Why SMART goals fall shortA simple 3-step formula for writing measurable goalsHow to align goa...

3 weeks ago

1 hour 29 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

OCR Complaints Part 3: Mediation, Rebuttal, and Resolution Explained

What happens after you file an OCR complaint? In Part 3 of our special series on how to file effective OCR (Office for Civil Rights) complaints, Karen Mayer Cunningham, Special Education Boss®, walks you through everything that happens once your complaint is opened for investigation—including mediation options, rebuttal strategies, and meaningful resolutions. This episode covers: ✅ What the OCR looks for when opening an investigation ✅ Why mediation is always voluntary—but often powerful ✅ Re...

3 weeks ago

55 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

Ask the Advocate: Paras, Placements, Phones & IEP Problems—Answered

What do you do when the IEP isn’t followed? When a para is left unsupervised? When your child is denied services due to a “lack of staff”? Or when a cell phone ban interferes with their support plan? In this rapid-fire Q&A episode of Ask the Advocate, Special Education Boss® Karen Mayer Cunningham tackles your most pressing questions about special education—straight from the front lines. No fluff. No legal jargon. Just real answers to real problems. Topics we cover in this episode: ✅ Are ...

4 weeks ago

1 hour 3 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

IEP or 504? Budget Excuses, OT Battles, and Why Data Always Wins | Ask the Advocate

What’s the real difference between an IEP and a 504? Spoiler: one of them is a “waste of good paper”… and Karen does not hold back. In this rapid-fire Ask the Advocate episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham answers the most pressing questions from parents, teachers, and advocates navigating special education. From whether schools can deny services based on budget to how to respond when accommodations “aren’t being implemented,” Karen gives straight answers with humor, heart, and strategy. Topics Cov...

4 weeks ago

45 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

OCR Part 2: Next Steps Unveiled — Navigating Post-Complaint Procedures with OCR

So you filed an OCR complaint… now what? In Part 2 of our 3-part training series, Karen Mayer Cunningham walks you through exactly what happens after you hit "submit" on an OCR (Office for Civil Rights) complaint—because filing is just the beginning. This training picks up where we left off in Part 1 (go back and listen if you haven’t yet!). We’re moving into what the federal process looks like after your complaint is received—including consent forms, timelines, clarification calls, documenta...

1 month ago

1 hour 4 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

Rapid-Fire Q&A: IEP Services, Transition Plans, 504 Misconceptions & Parent Advocacy

Have a question about IEPs, special education rights, or how to advocate for your child? In this rapid-fire episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham, the Special Education Boss®, answers YOUR burning questions from parents, teachers, and advocates across the country. ✨ From transition services at age 16 (or earlier!) to paraprofessional-only classrooms, related services, and the legal difference between an IEP and a 504, this episode is packed with clear, actionable insight. 🔍 Topics covered include: ...

1 month ago

51 minutes

Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham

What Schools Get Wrong: Q&A on One-to-One Support, Service Minutes, and Your Parent Rights

Do you know your rights when it comes to makeup services, one-to-one support, and placement decisions? In this powerful, unfiltered Q&A session, Karen Mayer Cunningham, Special Education Boss®, breaks down REAL questions from parents and educators navigating the IEP table. We’re covering everything from: Can a school deliver compensatory minutes before talking to the parent?Is one-on-one support really “too restrictive”?What to do when a school says “It’s all or nothing” on placementHow t...

1 month ago

1 hour