Contacting your district vs. using PrepIEP
PrepIEP helps you walk into an IEP meeting prepared. It is not a substitute for the people in your district who actually make decisions about your child's program. Here's how to decide which surface to use for what.
Use PrepIEP for
- Understanding what's in your child's current IEP.
- Drafting questions to raise at the next meeting.
- Sanity-checking goals against SMART criteria.
- Translating special-ed jargon into plain English.
- Orienting yourself to federal IDEA process, reviewed state-specific sources where available, and questions to verify locally.
Contact your district directly for
- Scheduling. Anything about when a meeting will happen, who will attend, or what's on the agenda. Email the team chair (sometimes called the special-ed liaison or coordinator).
- Records. Requests for evaluation reports, prior IEPs, progress reports, related-service notes. You have a right to inspect your child's education record; your district has up to 45 days (often much faster) to respond.
- Day-to-day implementation. A specific accommodation isn't being delivered. A goal isn't being measured. Your child's case manager or the special-ed administrator is the right first contact.
- Formal disagreement. If you disagree with a proposed IEP, your written response goes to the district in writing, not into PrepIEP. The Notice of Procedural Safeguards explains your state options, which may include mediation, due process, and state complaints.
When to bring in an advocate or attorney
The right next step is an experienced advocate or special-education attorney when:
- You're preparing for or in due-process proceedings before your state's hearing agency.
- You're seeking compensatory education for an extended denial of FAPE.
- You're navigating an out-of-district placement dispute.
- You and the district fundamentally disagree about eligibility or services and informal channels have not resolved it.
Your state's Parent Training and Information (PTI) center can often help you find a fit. PTI centers are free for parents to contact and know the local advocate community.
PrepIEP is the on-ramp, not the destination. When your case needs an advocate, we'll tell you so.