A surrogate is a substitute of one person in place of another. Surrogacy can extend to the educational arena, and is practiced primarily in the field of special education. An educational surrogate stands in the place of a parent when making decisions about a student's educational path.
Definition
An educational surrogate is a person over the age of 18 who makes decisions regarding the individualized education program (IEP) and educational life of a student. Educational surrogates are more common in special education than in mainstream education, because the needs of the students differ from those of their peers. Students who have special needs to be addressed are often the subject of meetings to determine proper placement in the school system, whereas most "typical" students do not require numerous evaluations by a team of educational specialists. Educational surrogates are assigned when a student's own parents are unable to make the commitment to oversee their child's education. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, a surrogate may be assigned if the student is a ward of the state or is homeless. There may be other reasons that lead to substituting another adult in the parent's role; the decision to employ an impartial party to oversee educational placement will be made by the local school department.
Preparation
A person who wishes to become an educational surrogate must file an application with their local school board, and may, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, be subject to background checks before being placed with a student. Each state or school department may have additional requirements regarding the qualifications for becoming an educational surrogate. The surrogate must undergo training to learn about the educational process and the types of decisions he may be asked to make. The educational surrogate is just one part of a team that determines what is appropriate and reasonable for each individual child's educational plan. The training will also cover issues concerning privacy laws, confidentiality and any liability that could stem from making an inappropriate decision regarding a program related to the assigned student.
If an educational surrogate has already been assigned a student before she begins her training, the Illinois State Board of Education suggests she gets to know her student and learns about the student's disabilities in order to know what the student's specific needs are.
Responsibilities
The primary responsibility of the educational surrogate is to advocate for the assigned student, making sure the child is receiving the free and appropriate education to which he is entitled. Attending meetings regarding special services that are being considered for the student, giving consent (or refusing to give consent when warranted) to services, and observing the student in the classroom may all be required by the surrogate. Observation may be needed both before a program has begun, in order to determine the student's needs, and after services have been provided to evaluate the effectiveness of the program's implementation. The surrogate should be prepared to work with a variety of staff members within the school, both those who provide services directly to the student, as well as administrators who can grant access to educational records when applicable.
Evaluation
As each school department is different, the exact procedures used to evaluate an educational surrogate will vary, but all surrogates are subject to some sort of review during their tenure. In Missouri, for example, evaluation of educational surrogates is performed on a yearly basis in order to continue a single surrogacy assignment. Teachers and other staff members may be asked to rate the surrogate, based on how well he seems to understand and advocate for the student's needs, as well as how the student seems to be performing, according to the decisions that have been made regarding his educational program.
Compensation
An educational surrogate is a volunteer position; surrogates are not paid for their time. Nominal reimbursement for incidental expenses incurred while providing surrogacy services may be covered in some school districts, but is not a hard and fast rule. Volunteers who are concerned about compensation should discuss the subject with their supervisors prior to accepting an assignment as an educational surrogate.
