IEP and 504 plan meetings can be emotional and intimidating. We offer these suggestions for parents and caregivers (read our web site disclaimer):
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- Provide your own written agenda for the meeting. Many parents report feeling flustered at meetings. To make sure you express your thoughts, concerns and requests, bring your own written agenda to the meeting and distribute it to everyone in attendance. Consider emailing it ahead of time. Your agenda can include a list of items you want to discuss, concerns you have, and/or information you want to share about your child. Wrightslaw offers this sample parent agenda.
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- Take someone with you to serve as a notetaker. This person's job is to document everything that is said and by whom, so you can focus on listening and responding. Have your notetaker sit away from the main action of the meeting so they are not distracting.
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- Consider hiring an educational advocate. Advocates can help you research laws and policies, communicate with the school, and plan for meetings. They may also be able to attend meetings with you. If you are interested in finding an educational advocate, contact us and we will send you some resources.
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- Consider audio recording the meeting. Many parents report feeling awkward about doing this, but recording school meetings is the very best way to create an accurate record of what happened. Iowa law allows a person to record or disclose the contents of an oral, electronic or telephonic communication that they are a part of. Although you do not have to disclose to others that you are recording, we encourage you to do so for transparency.
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- Don't feel pressure to agree or sign anything during the meeting. Taking time to think is acceptable and encouraged. "I need to think about this and I will get back to you" can be a very helpful statement.
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- Don't be afraid to ask tough questions! Review our list of Questions for Parents for ideas about what to ask in a variety of situations.
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- After the meeting, write an email summarizing what was discussed and agreed upon. Send it to all who attended the meeting as well as any team members who couldn't attend. Don't skip this step! Remember - if it isn't in writing, it never happened.