Perry Local Schools

Surrogate Parents

A surrogate parent is a person who is appointed to act in the interests of a special education student who does not have a parent who can make educational decisions. The surrogate parent works with the school to plan the child’s special education services. A surrogate parent does not take care of the child at home, like an adoptive parent or a foster parent does. A surrogate parent is not financially responsible for the child. A surrogate parent is more like a “school parent”—involved only in planning and making decisions about the child’s special education.

There are many important decisions to be made about the education of special education students, particularly students with disabilities. It takes a team of people to make these decisions and to plan for the child’s special education services. In fact, there are several steps in the special education process where a parent’s participation or consent is vital and is even required by law. So, if the child’s own parent is unknown or cannot be located, or if the child is a ward of the State, the child must have a surrogate parent. The student may be a girl or a boy, anywhere from 3 to 21 years old. The student may have a learning disability, a physical impairment, a vision or hearing impairment, or other special learning needs, such as giftedness. The student may live in a group foster home, a juvenile justice facility, or another setting. Though each of these students is unique, they all need a surrogate parent to work with the school to meet their educational needs.

A surrogate parent is a person who is appointed to act in the interests of a special education student who does not have a parent who can make educational decisions. The surrogate parent works with the school to plan the child’s special education services. A surrogate parent does not take care of the child at home, like an adoptive parent or a foster parent does. A surrogate parent is not financially responsible for the child. A surrogate parent is more like a “school parent”—involved only in planning and making decisions about the child’s special education.
There are many important decisions to be made about the education of special education students, particularly students with disabilities. It takes a team of people to make these decisions and to plan for the child’s special education services. In fact, there are several steps in the special education process where a parent’s participation or consent is vital and is even required by law. So, if the child’s own parent is unknown or cannot be located, or if the child is a ward of the State, the child must have a surrogate parent. The student may be a girl or a boy, anywhere from 3 to 21 years old. The student may have a learning disability, a physical impairment, a vision or hearing impairment, or other special learning needs, such as giftedness. The student may live in a group foster home, a juvenile justice facility, or another setting. Though each of these students is unique, they all need a surrogate parent to work with the school to meet their educational needs.