Whether a family is preparing for their very first IEP meeting (ARD in Texas) or preparing for their first IEP meeting at a new campus or with new staff, anxiety can run high. It is hard to know what to expect in these situations. The purpose of this blog is to help families have a better understanding of what happens before this meeting.

Prior to the meeting

Prior to the meeting, you should receive a notice for the meeting enough in advance to afford you the opportunity to attend. In Texas, this is five school days. The notice should include:

• Time and place of the meeting
• Purpose of the meeting
• Members of the IEP meeting (e.g., special education teacher, administrator)
• If the child will be 16 during the IEP year, that one of the purposes will be to discuss plans after graduation, that the student will be invited, and any other agency representative that will be invited

You should also receive a copy of the Procedural Safeguards.

Scheduling

IEP meetings have to be held at a “mutually agreeable” time between the parents and the school.

Scheduling initial meeting

An initial IEP meeting must be held within 30 calendar days of the completion of the FIE. The FIE is what the IEP committee discusses to determine whether the child meets criteria for any disability (e.g., ADHD, SLD).

Scheduling annual meetings

Every year, an annual IEP meeting must be held for each student with an IEP. This meeting must take place before the IEP has been in place for a full IEP year. In other words, if the meeting was held on April 23, 2020, the next annual would have to be held by April 22, 2021.

Scheduling other meetings

While only an annual meeting is required, additional IEP meetings can be held at any time based on a variety of factors from an updated evaluation to lack of progress.

Draft IEP

Often, school staff will develop a draft IEP prior to the meeting based on teacher information, parent information, classroom performance, and evaluation data, as well as other sources (e.g., data from related service providers). In these cases,  best practice is for staff to share present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP) and proposed goals with the family so they can review them before the IEP meeting and ask any questions about them. A draft IEP is merely a draft. The full development of the IEP should happen during the meeting with input from the members.

Draft IEP preparation

Parents and staff can meet before the IEP meeting to review the proposals, discuss questions, and formulate a plan. However, this meeting is not legally binding. Nothing is legally binding until it is agreed upon by the committee during the formal IEP meeting. That said, it can be beneficial to have discussions like this beforehand to streamline the IEP meeting.

IEP meeting members

• Parent(s)/guardian(s) of the student
• At least one general education teacher
• At least one special education teacher of the student, or, when appropriate, at least one special education service provider of the student (e.g., speech therapist)
• A representative of the public agency who: 1) is qualified to provide, or supervise the provision of, specially designed instruction to meet the needs of special education students, 2) has knowledge of the general education curriculum, and 3) has knowledge of the resources available from the public agency (e.g., administrator)
• An individual who can interpret the evaluation and explain how it impacts the student’s education (e.g., school psychologist)
• If needed, other personnel who have “knowledge or special expertise” when it comes to the student. This could include related service providers (e.g., occupational therapist)
• Transition services participants: 1) the student must be at least invited to the meeting if the meeting will include a discussion of postsecondary goals and transition services, 2) if the student does not attend, their preferences still have to be considered, and 3) when appropriate and with parent consent, any agency that may play a role in providing transition services
• A representative from career and technical education (CTE) if CTE is being considered or continued
• A language proficiency assessment committee (LPAC) staff member if the student is an English language learner
• A certified visual impairment teacher if visual impairment is a concern
• A certified auditory impairment teacher if auditory impairment is a concern
• A teacher certified in visual impairment and a teacher certified in auditory impairment if deaf-blindness is a concern

Bringing someone with you to the meeting

You are allowed to bring people with you to the meeting that have educational insight into the child. Some examples of people who might attend the IEP meeting with you include, but are not limited to a family member (e.g., grandparent), therapist, caretaker, consultant, and/or advocate.

Notification of person attending the meeting

You do not have to notify the campus you are bringing someone but it is helpful if you tell them in advance. Telling the campus in advance allows them to prepare the signature page appropriately and provide you with release paperwork to complete to allow the person to be present for the meeting. In fact, it is often easiest if you email to notify campus staff that you are bringing someone with you and request any paperwork they need completed to allow the person to sit in the meeting.

Release form for participating in the meeting

This paperwork is typically a release of information form that indicates you are okay with the district presenting information about your child with another person present in the room. This form can be for a single meeting or last for a year. In addition, it can allow the person to consult with staff outside of the meeting. This is particularly beneficial if it is a therapist who is trying to support the child outside of school. The therapist can talk with the staff periodically to work on continuity of services and interventions across settings.

What to look for on the release form

When completing the release form, make sure that it details what type of information is allowed to be disclosed and by which side. The district has to notify you if they would like to disclose any information not indicated on that form. You also want to be aware of how long the release stays in place. When someone is going to be continuously involved, it may be easier to sign a release form at the start of each school year so no one has to keep up with the expiration date.

Outside professional release form

If the person is an outside professional, such as a therapist, it is also recommended you ask them if they need you to sign a release form on their side. Oftentimes, you will need to sign similar paperwork for both parties to protect them legally.

Attending the meeting with an attorney

It is highly recommended you notify the campus if you are bringing an attorney with you to the meeting. If you arrive with attorney without the district having notice to bring their attorney, the meeting might not happen. This is because districts often want to make sure they have legal representation if you are bringing legal representation. Informing them ahead of time allows them to schedule with the district attorney and have them present at the meeting.

Summary

It can be overwhelming the first time a family tries to prepare for an IEP meeting for their child. This feeling can persist even past the initial meeting. It is hard to know how to navigate and understand systems when you have never done it before and do not do it for a living. Do not hesitate to reach out to staff on your child’s campus for assistance understanding the process. If you are uncomfortable with this or want additional information, reach out to professionals in your area and/or look up resources similar to this blog.

The hope is that the this blog helps equip parents with the tools they need to know what to expect for IEP meetings. Prior to the meeting, there are requirements for notifying you of the meeting. These notices must include the professionals that may be in attendance but it is equally as important to know who is required to attend. You are allowed to bring someone with you to the meeting but there are procedures in place for this. Prior to the meeting, the staff may develop a draft IEP but it should include input from you, the teacher, and other relevant personnel. More importantly, this draft is not legally binding. Nothing is legally binding until it is agreed upon by the IEP committee and documented in the IEP.