Arc Guide to Scheduling an IEP Meeting

Students with a disability may have the right for special education services that would give them extra support and services to help them succeed in their education. Students who are eligible to receive special education must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). An IEP is a written document that describes how the student’s educational needs will be met. Students on an IEP must have at least one meeting a year to create the IEP. The IEP is created by the IEP team which is made up of the parents, the special education teacher, and a district representative. The team could also include the student and the general education teacher. The IEP team also has a case manager who coordinates and is the person to contact about the IEP.

The parents can also invite whoever they would like to the IEP meeting, some options are: a family member, a friend, a service provider etc. If the parents want an interpreter to understand what is being talked about in the IEP meeting, the school must bring an interpreter to the IEP meeting.

Before an IEP meeting, the school must give the parents a notice to when the meeting will happen. To give the parents an opportunity to come to the meeting, the school should:
• Tell the parents about the meeting early enough for them to be able to attend the meeting
• Discuss with the parents a time that would work for the IEP team to meet

If the meeting time doesn’t work for the parents, the parents should:
• Call the case manager to ask for a different time for the IEP team to meet
• Ask to be on a conference call during the meeting
• Discuss with the case manager about what they would like on the IEP before the meeting
Some changes can be made to the IEP without the team meeting. The case manager and the parents will discuss whether or not there should be an IEP team meeting or if the case manager can make changes without having a meeting.
If at any time, the parents are concerned about their student’s IEP, they can call the case manager to discuss these concerns.

For any questions about scheduling an IEP meeting, parents should call the Arc Minnesota and ask to speak with an advocate.

See the following Arc Guides at: https://arcminnesota.org/arc-guides/
Arc Guide to Prior Written Notice
Arc Guide to Individualized Education Plan

For further information or advocacy services, contact The Arc Minnesota at 952-920-0855 or toll-free at 833.450.1494 or visit www.arcminnesota.org. (Please note: This document is not legal advice, and should not be construed as such. Thus, no information herein should replace the sound advice of an attorney.)