The meeting where the IEP is written is extremely important for parents to attend. If the school district does not implement the IEP the way it was written, they may be out of compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The parent can request a due process hearing to enforce the IEP or make a formal complaint to the State Department of Education.

The school district must have an IEP in effect for each student receiving special education. The IEP is a legal document. The school district must identify your child's educational needs regardless of the school's resources. The school must provide all services identified in the IEP at no charge to the parents. For example, if a child's IEP states that physical therapy (PT) must be provided and there are no physical therapists in the school district, it is the responsibility of the district to provide PT through other sources, such as, by contracting with the PT at the local hospital.

The Purposes of The IEP Are:

 

1. to help with communication between the parents and the school personnel, as equal participants;
2. to decide what the child’s needs are, what services the school will provide to meet those needs;
3. to determine measures of expected outcomes for the child;
4. to document a commitment of resources needed for the child to receive special education and related services; and
5. to serve as an evaluation tool in determining whether the child is making reasonable progress toward meeting the goals and objectives.

Any member of the IEP team, including the parent, may request an IEP meeting. It is the responsibility of the school district to set up and conduct IEP meetings. The school district must attempt to set the IEP meeting at a time and place convenient to the parent.

Version 10/3/01