The ARD committee is the primary decision-making body responsible for the planning and development of a special education student’s IEP, which in turn serves to deliver FAPE. This interactive session will address legal issues of staff participation in the ARD process, including understanding the key regulations and parent safeguards, the roles of ARD members and their educational input and opinions, Do’s and Don’ts of participating, what to say and not say in meetings, handling difficult staffpersons, dealing with difficult parents and/or advocates, addressing difficult situations, tips and techniques for keeping the decision-making process moving, properly documenting the committee’s decisions, and responding to common parent requests in meetings, among others.