As a parent of a child with special needs, one of your most important rights is the ability to disagree with an IEP, suggestions, and information a school presents in an IEP team meeting. A public school cannot force your child with an IEP into a different type of classroom or school without your consent. Let’s talk about how to say no and disagree with the public school in a way that will help to ensure change or stop it.
When you disagree with an IEP, your first step is to inform the IEP team and ask them to explain how the changes will help your child. This starts a conversation and will give the IEP team an opportunity to explain their thought process. It also gives you the chance to do the same. You can say why you do not feel it is necessary for your child, ask about alternatives, and instead potentially provide recommendations. Ideally, these conversations will lead to an agreed upon support for your child. However, there is a chance the school continues to disagree with your request.
When you disagree with an IEP, remember your child will not receive any new services or supports.
If you plan to disagree with an IEP the team proposes, keep in mind how the IEP process works. Until you sign it, the meeting’s IEP document is a draft and the IEP Team cannot work on the goals with your child. This draft can be edited with IEP team input. Depending on your child’s school’s preference, the IEP team may make immediate adjustments to the IEP or take notes and make official changes after the meeting. If the latter occurs, the changes should appear in the Notes section of the IEP. In the off chance a mistake is made, you should make your own notes and check them against the information you receive in the new draft copy of the IEP. You should also always record all IEP Team Meetings so that you can check the recording if your notes do not match the school’s notes.
If you are unable to find common ground with your child’s IEP team and they insist on their suggestions, you have several opportunities to prevent the changes. The most common is: you can sign the IEP with exceptions. When you receive the final draft copy of the IEP, you will sign saying that you agree to the IEP with the exception of the specific goals, accommodations, services, or placement that you do not want. At this point, you can write as much information as you feel is necessary to clearly document the disagreement. The school is not allowed to implement these excepted parts of the IEP with your child. When this happens, the school district usually sets up another IEP meeting to have another conversation about the exceptions. The goal for that meeting is to try to come to an agreement on the IEP.
If at all possible, you should sign the IEP with exceptions so that your child can have the agreed-upon sections of the IEP implemented while the team works together on the contested portions.
While it can seem daunting to disagree with an IEP, advocates from Aspire Advocacy can help you work with your child’s IEP team to create an end result that best benefits your child and their education.
For help at your child’s next IEP meeting, more information about our special education advocacy services, or for a FREE 20-minute consultation to see if we are a good fit for you, call or email today!
As parents, we understand. As advocates, we can help.