Birth Injury Answers

IEP meeting prep tool

The short answer

Fill this in before the meeting, print it, and take it with you. It puts your goals in your words on the table alongside the school's draft.

Ask for the draft plan and all reports at least a few days beforehand. Reading them at the table is a disadvantage. 1

The numbers, up front

What the plan must contain
Present levels, measurable annual goals, the services with frequency and duration, accommodations, and how progress will be measured and reported 1
You are a member of the team
Parents are members of the group that develops the plan, and the school must take steps to ensure you can participate 1
You can bring someone
You may invite others with knowledge or special expertise about your child 1
Written notice
When a district proposes or refuses something, it must give you prior written notice explaining what and why 1
You do not have to sign at the meeting
You can take the plan home, read it and respond in writing 1

This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere, stored on any server, or seen by anyone including us. There is no analytics on this page. If you choose to save, it is saved only in this browser on this device, and you can delete it with one click. You can check this yourself: turn off your internet connection and the tool still works.

Nothing you type here leaves your device. If you choose to save, it is saved in this browser on this device only.

Write your goals as things your child will be able to do, in your words. "I want him to be able to sit at the table with us for dinner" is a better starting point than "improve trunk control," and it gets to the same place.

About your child

Start here on purpose. A meeting that starts with strengths goes differently.

What you want

Include the things that get missed: transport, toileting and personal care, fire evacuation, who charges and maintains equipment, and rest for fatigue.

Concerns and questions
Notes during the meeting

Saving puts a copy in this browser, on this device only. It is not sent anywhere and nobody else can see it. Delete removes it.

After the meeting

Send a short email. "Thanks for meeting today. My understanding is that the district will do X by Y date." It takes two minutes, creates a record, and prevents most disputes from happening at all.

Ask for the final signed plan.

Diarize the review date.

Keep every version. Patterns across years are informative.

If you disagree, you have specific rights: prior written notice, an independent educational evaluation, mediation, a state complaint and a due process hearing. 1 Your state parent center helps with all of it, free. 2

Read IEP and 504 plans for the detail.

Questions parents ask

Can I bring someone with me?

Yes. You may invite others with knowledge or special expertise about your child, which can be a friend, an advocate, or an outside therapist. 1 Two people remember more than one.

Do I have to sign at the meeting?

No. You can take the plan home, read it, and respond in writing. Signing an attendance sheet is not the same as consenting to the plan. If you agree with parts and not others, say so in writing and be specific.

They will not give me the draft in advance. Is that allowed?

Ask for it in writing, and ask for the evaluation reports too. You are entitled to the evaluation reports, and reading a draft at the table puts you at a disadvantage. If it becomes a pattern, your state parent center can help. 1 2

Where these facts come from

  1. U.S. Government Publishing Office, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 34 CFR Part 300, Assistance to States for the Education of Children with Disabilities. 2025. www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/subtitle-B/chapter-III/part-30. Link checked September 3, 2026.
  2. Center for Parent Information and Resources. Find Your Parent Center. 2025. www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center/. Link checked September 3, 2026.