IEP paperwork lists what services your child will receive
If you ask us about the single most important rule of special education, we’ll tell you this: If it is not written down, it never happened. EVERYTHING that matters in your child’s education needs to be written down. This includes requests for assessment, goals, services, accommodations, and modifications. It also includes changes to any of those documents. We have been at meetings where the district mentions a verbal agreement they have with the family. What? No!
Why aren’t verbal agreements enough?
We have seen verbal agreements come back to bite both schools and parents. One district reduced services based on a verbal agreement. 
Another district provided services, then abruptly stopped. When this happened, the parents had no recourse because they did not have a signed document for those services. The IEP is a contract between the school and the parents. Make sure your child’s IEP lists everything the IEP team has agreed to provide.
Write everything down
The “Write it down!” rule also applies to all other important areas of your child’s education. If you have concerns, are seeking additional assessments or services, or are requesting an IEP meeting, put it in writing. Email is fine. We recommend you send it to at least two people at your child’s school, as this increases the likelihood that school officials will see it. If you send an urgent email, ask them to confirm receipt of the email.
Documenting conversations
What if you have a significant conversation with someone from the school? As soon as you can, take down notes about the conversation and send an email documenting it. Depending on how important it is, you can send these notes to just the person with whom you had the conversation, or to at least two people at the school. Sending this email makes it part of your child’s record.
As parents, we understand. As experienced and trained advocates, we can help.