9. B. When must IEP meetings occur?

ANSWER:

The school district is responsible for initiating and conducting meetings to develop or review each student’s IEP periodically, and if appropriate, revise its provisions. A meeting must be held for this purpose at least once a year. While it is the responsibility of the school district to initiate and conduct IEP reviews, meetings must be scheduled at a time and place mutually agreed upon by the parents and school district to ensure that the parents have the opportunity to attend. The review requirement does not prescribe the precise time of year at which meetings must be held, and meetings may be held at any time during the school year, as long as the IEPs are in effect at the beginning of each school year. Depending on individual circumstances, meetings may be held at times such as the end of the school year, during the summer, or on the anniversary date of the last IEP meeting for the student. Regardless of the timing of the annual IEP review, an IEP meeting generally must take place before a proposal to change the student’s placement can be implemented.

The information below comes from Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction. There is an email address and a phone number below for you to write or call them directly.

For questions on educational assessment and accountability including the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts (WKCE) Examinations, and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) of schools please contact the Office of Educational Accountability directly at by email at [email protected] or by phone at 608-267-1072.

Here are some (Wisconsin)

links that should give you some solid information:

http://dpi.wi.gov/sped/dueproc.html

http://www.nichcy.org/stateshe/wi.htm

The following is a link to Wisconsin’s Educational Assessment assessment fundamentals and details about assessment practices, including valid testing accommodations and alternate assessments. You need to read this in the event that your child might need accomodations in annual testing.

http://dpi.wi.gov/pubsales/spcled_8.html

I couldn’t find the Wisconsin Handbook On Parent’s Rights. In NC, we are required to give this information to all parents of children receiving any form of special education.

Here is a link to North Carolina’s:

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/ec/policy/resources/englishhandbook.pdf

As EC laws are federally, not state, mandated, the information is the same.

EC laws change virtually yearly. This is a link to NC’s insert for the handbook. It notes all updated changes.

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/ec/policy/resources/parentsrightshandbookinsert07.pdf

Your child is also protected under the OCR (Office of Civil Rights)

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html

Do not be intimidated by the school staff. You are the best advocate for your child. You have a legal right to bring any person of your choosing to any IEP meeting.

The principal or Special Education (EC) director is the best place for you to begin regarding contacts over the summer.

I hope this helps. Good luck! 🙂

Write and request ‘prior written notice’ for their refusal to hold a meeting within the legal time limit. IMO, ignoring is the same as refusing.

I bet they’ll get on the ball then! Prior written notice is a VERY important parent right in special ed.