Before you sign the IEP

Learn

• Ask to take the IEP home to review it.

  At the end of an IEP meeting, you may be asked to sign a draft of the IEP. But you don’t have to sign right away.

  It’s your right to take it home to review it. The school may even mail you a copy of the proposed IEP soon after the meeting. Ask how many days you have to sign the IEP.

  What you can say: “I need time to review the IEP. I need to make sure I understand it and that it meets my child’s needs. What’s my deadline to sign it?”

• Details to check before signing

  Is all the basic information correct, like your contact information and the date the IEP will go into effect?

  Is it clear?

  • Are the annual goals SMART? (See previous step for details.)

  • Are the supports and services clear and detailed?

  • Does it state how and when the school will measure and report your child’s progress?

  Is it accurate and complete?

  • Does it include everything you agreed to in the meeting, including accommodations?

  • Is there anything in the IEP you didn’t discuss or agree to in the meeting?

• You can ask for another meeting

  You have the right to request an IEP team meeting at any time. If you have a good relationship with the IEP team, you can often work things out just by talking through your concerns.

  What you can say: “There are some points we still need to discuss. Since we don’t have time to do so today, I’d like us to meet again to resolve those issues before I sign the IEP. Can we schedule a meeting before we leave today?”

• You can give partial consent

  IDEA allows you to agree to some parts of the IEP but not others. You can write on the signature page that you partially consent and attach an explanation of what you disagree with.

  If you give partial consent, the school must provide the services you agreed to. The parts you don’t agree with can’t be put in place until you resolve the dispute.

  You can only partially consent to your child’s initial IEP. Once an IEP is in place, you can still revoke your consent, but the entire IEP will end.