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Surrogate Parent

mixed race family with parents both carrying children and laughing

There are occasions when a school must identify a surrogate parent for a student. A surrogate parent is a person appointed to represent the interests of a child with a disability in the educational decision-making process when that child/youth has no other parent representation.

The surrogate has all of the rights and responsibilities of a parent. Thus, the surrogate parent is entitled to

  1. participate in the child’s IEP or IFSP meeting,
  2. see the child’s education records, and
  3. receive notice, grant consent, and use due process to resolve differences.

Your local ISD/RESA should be able to provide information specific to your district. Michigan Department of Education has guidance available:

More resources: