30-day IEP timelines are an important aspect of the IEP process. When your child has an IEP, the team must meet at least one time every calendar year to discuss your student’s present levels, where they need support, determine what new goals they need, write those new goals, and determine service levels for the next 12 months.
A few families only meet once with the IEP Team every year. A lot can happen in 12 months between staffing changes, changes in our child’s support needs, lack of progress on goals, etcetera. Many families meet with the IEP Team several times per year. There is no “right” number of meetings except it has to be at least one time per year, and it should be whenever the IEP is not meeting the student’s educational needs.
Either the school or the parents can request an IEP Team meeting. As with everything else in Special Education, your request for a meeting should be in writing. Email works fine. Be sure to send the email to at least two people at your child’s school. Usually we recommend the case manager and the principal. Sending it to two people reduces the chances that your email will be lost.
From the time you request an IEP Team meeting, the school has 30 days to schedule an IEP Team meeting. The 30 days are calendar days, not school days. The only exception to the 30 days are school breaks of six consecutive school days or more. That stops the 30-day IEP timeline. It stops on the last school day, and begins again the first day back after the break.
They must schedule the meeting at a time that works for you, not just a convenient time for the school team. If you have not received a response to your request after 20 days, we suggest gently following up with an email referring to your previous email (reply all is ideal for this) and ask if they have some dates to propose.
At Aspire Advocacy, our advocates have experience with districts that drag their feet and we can often help move things along.
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.