Katherine: Who’s responsibility is it to bring an audio recorder to the IEP meeting? My husband feels that it’s the schools responsibility. I feel like we should have one as a back up.
Tape-Recording: TAPING AN IEP MEETING
Special Education Law and Advocacy
I would bring my own. I have recorded iep meeting and it helps to have it so that you can go back and listen to things that were promised. Its like note taking. I use it for my after IEP meeting to remind the staff of what has been promised by both sides.
My recollection is that the person who wants to make a recording needs to bring the recorder. But even if the District were required to bring one, I would bring my own. I have recorded many IEP meetings and have been able to compare to the District recordings a few times and mine are of better quality. Possibly because I have stronger motivation. And other times when I ask for their recordings, the District has lost them. My advice is to make your own recordings and totally ignore the District’s recordings, behave as if they will not be available.
I totally agree with these statements. I too have be assured that would have access to the recording made by the school only for it to be mysteriously “lost”. That never happened a second time as I bought a LIVE SCRIBE ECHO SMART PEN that records and transcribes entire IEP meetings. I also use these transcriptions to “remind” administration of points or accommodations that were agreed upon during meetings but somehow “forgotten” about post meeting. The tool has proven itself on numerous occasions and I am also free to forward a copy of the IRP meeting for faculty or district members that missed the meeting or simply need to be kept in the loop. My advocate told me something when I first began navigating the system, “ If it’s not recorded or properly documented it never happened.”