The Foreign Service Journal, June 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2016 19 placement assistance, both for families currently assigned overseas and for families newly assigned and transferring overseas from a domestic assignment. Currently SNEA can only be used in this manner while the family is assigned overseas. Placement assistance is required under IDEIA for children with special needs; but under IDEIA, U.S. local school districts are not obligated to provide this once the parent or child is no longer resident in their jurisdiction. Families transferring overseas are thus caught in a bureaucratic limbo, with no assistance from either their local school district or the department. Placement assistance using SNEA was previously provided to families transfer- ring from a domestic assignment for children who met certain criteria, but it is no longer being authorized by MED/ MHS/CFP. ■ Reaffirm previous State Department policy that the intention of SNEA is to provide support for services commensu- rate with those legally guaranteed under the IDEIA to children in Foreign Service families who have special needs and are stationed overseas, and clarify whether the department considers the IDEIA to have legal application for overseas assignments or whether it is only used as a guideline. ■ Create an appeals process whereby an employee who disagrees with a MED/ MHS/CFP decision can request to have that decision reviewed by a third party (instead of filing a grievance). Win-Win The primary responsibility for making sure that special needs children’s require- ments are met will always begin and end with parents. Department officials must recognize that they should partner with parents in a way that enables them to use appropriate resources to determine what is in the best interest of their child. If done properly, all parties benefit. Making it possible for a large portion of existing and future Foreign Service members with valuable skills to serve in a wider range of assignments by facilitating rather than hindering access to SNEA will help ensure that the State Department continues to retain and recruit a diverse group of personnel representing the entire U.S. population. n