Request an IEP Meeting Before School Starts
You do not have to wait for the annual review to meet with your child's team. If something needs to be discussed before school starts, a new building, new information from over the summer, or questions about how the IEP will actually be carried out, you can request that meeting yourself.
Send the request to both the building principal and your child's case manager, if you know who that will be. Keep in mind the case manager may not be back yet for the new school year, so the principal may be the one who actually sees and responds to the request first.
Schools need lead time to coordinate a meeting, especially this close to the start of the year. Reaching out now gives the team the best chance to meet before your child's first day.
Here is a sample email you can copy, fill in, and send.
Subject: Requesting an IEP Meeting Before the School Year Begins
Dear [Principal's name] and [Case manager's name, if known],
I am writing to request an IEP meeting for my child, [child's name], before the school year begins. I would like to meet with the team to review the current IEP and discuss [specific reason].
I understand scheduling may take some coordination, so I wanted to reach out with enough lead time to meet before the first day of school.
Please let me know your availability, or who else I should be in touch with to arrange this.
Thank you,
[Parent name]
[Phone number]
It is reasonable to expect a response within a week or two. If you have not heard back by then, following up is completely appropriate.
Not sure what to bring up once the meeting is scheduled? That is exactly what a conversation with me is for.
