How to Request an IEP Meeting

Published: Oct. 17, 2020Updated: Nov. 8, 2024

Although an IEP team typically meets at least once a year, you may find you need to meet sooner. As a parent, you can call an IEP meeting at any time to discuss your child’s IEP and have a voice in it.

How do I request a meeting with my child’s IEP team?

Contact your child’s case manager

You do not have to wait for the annual IEP meeting if you are concerned about problems with your child’s current IEP, want to make revisions, or feel that a new unanswered educational issue has arisen for your child.
When making a request for an IEP meeting, it MUST be done in writing.
You may send an email or letter to your child’s case manager. If you write a physical letter, bring it to the school office and request a date stamped receipt. You can also send a letter via certified mail, in which case it is a good idea to send an email also because mail can take several days.
You may also send copies of the letter or email to other relevant team members, such as the school psychologist, teacher, and principal. (When sending emails, you may want to cc the IEP team members and request a “read receipt” so you know when it’s been opened.)
Here is a sample letter written by a non-attorney Undivided advocate you can use to write your request for an IEP meeting.

Follow up

On the day you send the email or letter, be sure to mark the date on your calendar.
If you have not heard back from the school within five to ten business days, you may want to follow up by email and possibly a phone call to each of the individuals you originally contacted.

What do I need to include in my request?

Be specific as to why you are requesting the IEP meeting. Examples include discussing how your child will continue to access the goals within their IEP, new accommodations for the classroom, a change in service minutes, etc.
If you are working with an advocate or a lawyer, inform the IEP team in the email. If this person will be present at the meeting, include that information as well.
If there are certain team members that you feel need to be in attendance, make sure you request their attendance ahead of time.

What if I need to request my first IEP meeting?

If you want to request an IEP meeting for the first time because you believe your child needs extra support at school, you’ll want to start by contacting the school principal in writing to request a full IEP assessment. A parent can request an assessment of their child at any time. In your request, mention all areas of suspected disability that you want the school team to consider. Here some sample letters as examples:
- Sample request for assessment written by an Undivided advocate
- Sample IEP Request Letter from Lanterman Regional Center
Within 15 days, you should receive an assessment plan from the school. You should discuss any questions that you have about how the assessment will be done with your school psychologist. Note that all children have the right to be assessed in their native language(s).
The school may suggest that you have a Student Success Team meeting instead of an IEP. They may also suggest a Response to Intervention, such as a reading program to see if the child does better. However, if you suspect that your child has a disability, you should say that you would like to do both at the same time to avoid delaying assessment. Here is an letter from the federal department of special education that you can share with your school to support this.
The school has 60 days from you signing the assessment plan to carry out the assessment. Once the assessment process is complete, the school will schedule an IEP eligibility meeting to review the reports and determine next steps. Check out IEP Assessments 101 for more information.

When is the district legally required to respond?

Response to the written request

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), federal law does not specify a timeframe within which a school district must respond to a parent’s request for an IEP meeting.
However, in California, once the school receives your meeting request, the meeting must be held within 30 calendar days (not including days between the school’s regular sessions, terms, or vacation in excess of five school days).
Special education attorney Grace Clark tells us that if a district doesn’t hold the IEP meeting within 30 days of the written parental request, the parent can file a state compliance complaint on their own or with the help of an advocate. The fact that the district was out of compliance in holding a timely IEP meeting can be used with other facts at a due process hearing to support an argument that the child was not receiving a free, appropriate public education (FAPE).

Scheduling a meeting for the IEP team

Once the IEP team has agreed on a meeting date, the school district is required to notify the parents of the scheduled IEP meeting by sending an IEP meeting with enough notice to make sure they can attend.
The school must also schedule the meeting at a time and place agreeable to the parents and the school, let the parents know who will be attending, and tell the parents that they may invite people to the meeting who they feel have relevant knowledge of their child. Many parents prefer to meet over Zoom.

Do I need to let the district know if I want to record the meeting?

In California, you can only record the meeting if you give the school district 24 hours written notice that you would like to do so. In addition, if you record the IEP meeting, the district may also make their own recording.

Request a draft of the IEP

Write to the program specialist (or the administrator in charge of the IEP), the teacher, and/or the case worker to request a draft of the IEP in advance of the meeting; you can request that the district provide the draft several days before the meeting so you have time to review it.
In your request, you can note that it’s important to ensure that you have the information you need to participate meaningfully in IEP meetings, which may include reviewing your child’s records.