Dufferin-Peel adheres to the IPRC process as outlined in Regulation 181/98 of the Education Act. Exceptional students require a formal identification and/or placement through the Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) process. In practice, Dufferin-Peel has divided IPRCs into three levels: board, family and school. At the board and family levels, the IPRC will:
I: Decide whether your child should be identified as exceptional
• Identify the areas of your child’s exceptionality, according to the Categories and Definitions of Exceptionalities provided by the Ministry of Education
P: Decide an appropriate placement for your child.
• If the recommending placement is in a special education class, the IPRC must set out the reasons for this recommendation in their decision (Regulation 181/98)
R: Review the identification and placement at least once in each school year
For a chart of the five Ministry placement options aligned with Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Programs and Services, refer to the Special Education Placements section of this report.
Generally, school level IPRC meetings are convened annually for the review of identification and/or placement. Parents/guardians/adult students may agree in writing to dispense with or “waive” the annual review. IPRCs are not waived for more than 3 consecutive years or during a transition which involve a change of school, panel or program. A parent/guardian/adult student may request a review of the IPRC decision 3 months after the placement has begun. The review cannot be requested more than once every three months.
Parents/guardians/adult students may, within 15 days of receiving the statement of decision, request a second meeting of the IPRC to further discuss the decision; or within 30 days of receiving the statement of decision, file a notice of appeal with the Board.
Further to the follow-up meeting, parents/guardians/adult students who do not agree with the upheld or revised decision of a follow-up meeting may request to have the matter referred to a special education appeal board within 15 days of receipt of the statement of decision of the second meeting of the IPRC.
For further details on the IPRC process, please refer to the Dufferin-Peel Parent's Guide to Special Education which is available in multiple languages.
