When should you sign your child’s IEP document? You have probably heard you should not sign the IEP at the end of an IEP team meeting. Many school districts confidently push the IEP towards the parent(s) and say, “Sign here.” Why are they taking this approach?
Because the approach often works. We have all been in long IEP meetings, spending several hours discussing our child’s IEP. These are not easy meetings as your child’s future is on the line. Some districts will project a copy of the IEP so that you can see the changes as they happen. Most school districts use laptops with less-than-visible screens; you have no way of knowing what they are typing. Even if the school district projects the IEP so you can watch the process, most IEPs are free-ranging discussions that can go in any number of ways.
After a long, complicated, and possibly overwhelming meeting, the District pushes the IEP copy over to you and asks you to sign. We have seen many cases where the parent says they will take the document home and District staff appear disappointed or ask parents why they will not sign at that moment. This is a tactic to get you to sign an IEP without thoroughly reviewing it! You have a right to know what is in your child’s IEP and there are multiple reasons to wait before signing.
Once you have signed consent to the IEP, it becomes a legally enforceable contract between the District and you. It is much easier to make changes in the contract before you have agreed than after you have already signed.
There are so many moving pieces that it is hard for almost all of us to keep up with them. Many IEP meetings take several hours and the team covers a lot of ground. It can be difficult to keep up, both for parents and for the District person taking notes. Typically that District taking notes also participates in the conversation. While they may intend to write down every last detail, key items often get missed, omitted, or not written down precisely as the conversation unfolded. These omissions can show up anywhere. They can be missing page numbers, goals or baselines written in ways that are not specific or measurable, or in the meeting notes.
Who cares about the meeting notes? You do! They are as crucial as the rest of the IEP and are part of the record. If you have challenges later with the school providing services, meeting notes are part of your documentation. If an item important to your child’s education is not spelled out in the IEP document, the school is not responsible for providing the service.
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