COVID-19   Law    Advocacy    Topics A-Z     Training    Wrights' Blog   Wrightslaw Store    Yellow Pages for Kids 
 Home > Advocacy > Parent IEP Attachment: A Powerful Tool by Judy Bonnell, Advocate

The Special Ed Advocate newsletter
It's Unique ... and Free!

Enter your email address below:

2024
Training Programs

Apr. 11 - Denver, CO

June 5-8 - San Antonio, TX

Sept. 24 - MD via ZOOM

Full Schedule


Wrightslaw

Home
Topics from A-Z
Free Newsletter
Seminars & Training
Yellow Pages for Kids
Press Room
FAQs
Sitemap

Books & Training

Wrightslaw Storesecure store lock
  Advocate's Store
  Student Bookstore
  Exam Copies
Training Center
Mail & Fax Orders

Advocacy Library

Articles
Cool Tools
Doing Your Homework
Ask the Advocate
FAQs
Newsletter Archives
Short Course Series
Success Stories
Tips

Law Library

Articles
Caselaw
Fed Court Complaints
IDEA 2004
McKinney-Vento Homeless
FERPA
Section 504

Topics

Advocacy
ADD/ADHD
Allergy/Anaphylaxis
American Indian
Assistive Technology
Autism Spectrum
Behavior & Discipline
Bullying
College/Continuing Ed
Damages
Discrimination
Due Process
Early Intervention
  (Part C)

Eligibility
Episodic, such as
   Allergies, Asthma,
   Diabetes, Epilepsy, etc

ESSA
ESY
Evaluations
FAPE
Flyers
Future Planning
Harassment
High-Stakes Tests
Homeless Children
IDEA 2004
Identification & Child Find
IEPs
Juvenile Justice
Law School & Clinics
Letters & Paper Trails
LRE / Inclusion
Mediation
Military / DOD
Parental Protections
PE and Adapted PE
Privacy & Records
Procedural Safeguards
Progress Monitoring
Reading
Related Services
Research Based
  Instruction

Response to Intervention
  (RTI)

Restraints / Seclusion
   and Abuse

Retention
Retaliation
School Report Cards
Section 504
Self-Advocacy
Teachers & Principals
Transition
Twice Exceptional (2e)
VA Special Education

Resources & Directories

Advocate's Bookstore
Advocacy Resources
Directories
  Disability Groups
  International
  State DOEs
  State PTIs
Free Flyers
Free Pubs
Free Newsletters
Legal & Advocacy
Glossaries
   Legal Terms
   Assessment Terms
Best School Websites

 

Print this page

The Parent IEP Attachment: A Powerful Tool
by Judy Bonnell, Advocate


Until l recently, I had great difficulty getting school districts to take parent attachments seriously. Recently, I was told that the district could not attach the parent document to their child's IEP!

I turned to Written Prior Notice in the Procedural Safeguards section of the statute (Section 1415(b)(3), pages 108-109 in Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition, pages 108-109; and in the special education regulations at CFR 300.503 in Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition, pages 253-254).

Written Prior Notice

Written Prior Notice clearly states that requests put on the table must be accepted or rejected, and that the IEP team must provide the reasons for accepting or rejecting the parent's proposal.
I don't think most parents realize what a powerful tool this is.

Parent IEP Attachment

Using the requirements in Written Prior Notice, I devised a simple form with four columns: one column for Proposal, columns for Accepted or Rejected, and a column for "Reason Accepted or Rejected." (See sample form)

If the parent's request is accepted, a notation is added about who is responsible for initiating the proposal and the start date.

The parent must ensure that the IEP team states their reasons for accepting or rejecting each proposal.

After doing this in a couple of meetings, our district suggested using my form to keep track of proposals and how they were resolved. I was so proud of them! They are in compliance. And parents now have definite "yes" or "no" answers to their requests, and the reasons for these decisions.

When the IEP team uses this form (even if it is an unofficial form designed by a parent), it eliminates concerns about inactivity or that someone will drop the ball, sidestep a request, or simply forget.

All members of the IEP team know which issues have been resolved and which issues have not been decided. Issues that are tabled for further investigation should have a name attached and a date for the issue to be answered.

Parents need to understand what a powerful tool this is. If they use this form as a strategy to make the IEP process work for their child, the IEP process may become a little more "parent friendly."

Sample Prior Written Notice Form


IEP for _____________________________________________

Date_____________________

 
Proposal 
Accepted Rejected
Reason
Start date
Responsible person
 
         
 
         
 
         
 
         
 
         


Download Prior Written Notice Form in pdf or in word

I continue to be a big fan of your site. As an advocate, your site is the first one I refer parents to. I was delighted to see permission granted to reprint your articles so I may pass them on to parents who do not have access to the internet.

More Advocacy Tips from Judy Bonnell 

The Parent Advocate, includes many excellent articles and tips for parents and advocates.

Build on the Strengths
- Describes the importance of focusing on islands of competence; providing behavioral support; the need to test the child's knowledge, not the child's disability; finding strengths.

Last revised: 10/20/16

Email Newsletter icon, E-mail Newsletter icon, Email List icon, E-mail List icon The Special Ed Advocate: It's Free!

March Sale - SAVE 25%

Print, Immediate Downloads
and Advocacy Supplies
Order Wrightslaw Product
s
and Save 25% Now!



Check Out
The Advocate's Store!

Wrightslaw on FacebookWrightslaw on TwitterWrightslaw YouTube Channel 

Wrightslaw Books
Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 3rd Edition, by Pam and Pete Wright
About the Book

Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy, 2nd Edition
About the Book

Wrightslaw: All About IEPs
About the Book

Wrightslaw: All About Tests and Assessments
About the Book

Wrightslaw: Special Education Legal Developments and Cases 2019
About the Book

Surviving Due Process: Stephen Jeffers v. School Board
About the DVD Video


The Advocate's Store


Understanding Your Child's
Test Scores (1.5 hrs)

Wrightslaw Special: $14.95