Your Child's IEP

Your Child’s Individualized Education Program

The IEP team writes the Individualized Education Program (IEP). This plan will be written at a meeting and will include a description of all the programs and services necessary to help your child be successful. The IEP team uses information that is contained in the ER to write the IEP.

As a parent, you are an important IEP team member. It is imperative that you attend these meetings. Meetings will be scheduled to fit in with your schedule and school officials’ schedules. You will get a written notice of when, where, and why the meeting will be held and a list of the other people who are invited to attend. The IEP meeting is to be scheduled at a time and place that is mutually agreed upon by you and your school district. If the date or time is not convenient, you may ask for a change. Parents may also be included by telephone if it is impossible for them to attend the meeting in person.

• The child’s parent(s)
• At least one of your child’s general education teachers (if your child is, or might become, part of general education classes)
• At least one special education teacher and a representative of the school district who: 1) Is qualified to provide or supervise special education programs 2) Knows about the general curriculum 3) Knows about the availability of the resources the local educational agency (LEA) can offer.
• Someone who can interpret the evaluation results, who may already be a member of the team
• At your request or that of the school district, other people who know your child well or who have worked with your child. You may bring an advocate to advise you or anyone else who will be able to add information about your child’s educational experience
• Your child at age 14 when planning will be done for life after graduation, or any time before that age when you want your child to be present
  A representative from a vocational-technical school if a vocational-technical program is being considered for your child.

One person may fill more than one of the above roles. The minimum number of people at the IEP meeting should be four in most circumstances; you, the local education agency (LEA) representative, a special education teacher and a general education teacher (If your child will participate at all in general education.) The general education teacher may not attend all meetings or stay for the entire meeting time, but must be a team member.

If you choose to not attend the IEP meeting, it may be held without you.