IEP FAQ

No. The school must provide Prior Written Notice whenever they propose or refuse to change your child's identification, evaluation, placement, or services. This notice must explain what they're changing, why, what data they used, and your rights.

If they changed anything without giving you this notice, that is a federal violation.

No. Parental consent is required for initial evaluation and initial placement, but you are never required to sign the IEP document itself. If you disagree, you can write your objections on the IEP, request another meeting, or invoke dispute resolution.

The school cannot pressure you to sign on the spot. Take it home. Read it. You have that right.

LRE means your child should be educated alongside non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate — with supplementary aids and services. It does NOT mean "mainstream at all costs."

If the school removed your child from general education, they need to show they tried supplementary aids and services first, and that education cannot be achieved satisfactorily in the regular classroom even with those supports.

No. An aide is a service listed in the IEP. Removing it requires an IEP meeting, team discussion, and Prior Written Notice. The school cannot unilaterally remove any service listed in the IEP without following this process.

If they tell you "he doesn't need it anymore because he's doing fine" — he's doing fine because he has the aide.

The new district must provide comparable services immediately. They must either adopt the existing IEP or develop a new one promptly. They cannot strip all supports on Day 1 and start from scratch.

"Comparable" means substantially similar — not identical, but not nothing.

Prior Written Notice (PWN) is a written document the school must give you whenever they propose OR refuse to change your child's identification, evaluation, placement, or services.

It must include: what action they're taking, why, what data they used, other options they considered, and your procedural safeguards. If you've never received one, that's a significant red flag.

The school must make every effort to ensure parent participation. They must notify you early enough to attend, and the meeting must be at a mutually agreed-upon time and place.

They can only proceed without you if they have documented multiple attempts to involve you — phone calls, letters, home visits. One email that went to spam doesn't count.

If you disagree with the school's evaluation, you have the right to request an IEE at the district's expense. Send a written request citing this regulation.

The district must either pay for the IEE or file for a due process hearing to prove their evaluation was adequate. They cannot simply refuse or ignore your request.

You have multiple options: request another IEP meeting, file a state complaint, request mediation, or request a due process hearing.

During disputes, your child has "stay-put" rights — they remain in their current placement until the dispute is resolved. The school cannot change your child's placement while a dispute is pending.

If your child is suspended for more than 10 school days, the school must hold a Manifestation Determination Review (MDR) to decide if the behavior was caused by or substantially related to the disability.

If it was, the child cannot be disciplined the same way as non-disabled students. The school must also continue providing FAPE during any removal.