IEP FAQs: When Do I Get a Copy of the IEP?

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How long should a school have to get me a copy of the revised IEP after my son’s IEP meeting?

You should get a copy of your child’s IEP right away. There is no reason for any delay. Write a short polite letter to request a copy.

If the school wants to send you a “clean” copy” later, thank them, but make it clear that you want a copy of the original IEP before you leave the meeting. Ask that they send you the “clean copy” when it’s available. When you get the clean copy, compare it to the original.

What is the standard practice in your district?… Please vote in the poll

In my district, I receive a copy of the IEP

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  • Now that you’ve voted, use the comments box to “Leave a Reply” and let us know how easy it is to get a copy of the IEP from your school.

  1. My grandson graduated from high school 2 years ago. My ex-wife lost his IEP. My grandson was at a charter school within the Chicago Public School District. I’ve called the Social & Emotional Office with CPS several times. I still haven’t received a call back. I would like to view my grandson’s transitional plan (before he turns 21).

  2. Is is it legal for a special education teacher to download a copy of a child’s IEP
    onto a flashdrive and then print copies on a schoolwide teacher printer? that
    seems to violate a private policy rule of some sort…copy machines get jammed,
    teachers may see IEPs of students in another teacher’s room….anyone have any
    concrete answers? TIA

    • I wouldn’t think it would be illegal. Not all teachers have private printers. However, the teacher should stand by the printer while it is printing and pick up the documents immediately.

  3. I need my IEP..asap because i am trying to go back to school to get my high school diomple. need to no where i stand in my grades..i really need them..

  4. If we request, the district will give a copy of the IEP, if copiers are working, at the end of the meeting. The IEP will have strike thru’s and additions and what I would call a dirty copy. Our district will not provide a “clean” copy because it is a working document, therefore they do not retype any of the document.- It is very hard to follow the documents in the file due to the scratch thru.

  5. We get a copy at the end of the meeting; only once did we get the “clean copy” a few days afterward because the printer was out of working order. We still walked out with the draft copy discussed in the meeting.

  6. I have to constantly email for the email and then I may have to email to let them know they didn’t include the accommodations page or the behavior plan and the goals. Most of the time they are trying to place my kid in an NPS which I will not agree to

  7. Does anyone know a NYS legal mandate or code on when a copy of an IEP is shared with parents? I get the final IEP months after the meeting. I want a copy earlier but want to get the exact legal mandate? Can anyone help?

  8. I have not received a promised IEP yet, wasnt shown a copy at the meeting in June, its now almost mid Sept, I’ve been told I ‘ll get one, then I was told it was lost in the mail, then I got one in the mail, with the goals/objectives pages missing-the head of Child Study said they she forgot to attach it, I would get another copy, havent received it and she told me I only have 30 days from the start of school to change it, I believe they are delaying it on purpose, and oh, the case manager I have is the one that got my son kicked out of middle school.

  9. We had an amended IEP meeting on 29 March 2017 and I have asked for a copy of the amended IEP 5 times now (2 verbal request and 3 email request) and I still have yet to receive a copy. I am hand delivering a written letter to the school on Monday (April 24th) and requesting a signature with date stamp showing they received it.

  10. After 4 months, I finally received a copy of my son’s annual IEP, which was primarily drafted prior to the meeting. The same day I received PWN because I didn’t agree with their “proposed” goals. The previous ammendment took 6 weeks, so I “conveniently” received it in the middle of summer. Meeting times were capped, forcing additional IEPs (8 in one year). When I found errors I was told they could only be changed during an IEP. When I tried to consent to parts of the IEP, I was told I couldn’t. Plus, the district always rewords the IEP notes in their favor and adds statements that were never said during the recorded meetings. Fighting the district has become a full-time job! What exactly does the law say (and where) about when parents should get a copy of the IEP?

  11. The school year will start and the IEPs will be put into place and no one will receive them. It is standard practice to do this in our district. I have even asked at my CSE meeting (and I tape record the meeting) for a draft copy and they have told me that they cannot hand them out until the Board of Education approves them.

  12. I am having an issue with my childs new school. He has been there 3 weeks now and had an iep meeting to keep his plan from another state. Here in Ga they have a reading requirement and they are sending me letter and are send me letters saying that my child is reading below level and is in danger of being retained. I explained to them during the meeting that in the previous shool they worked with my child one on one and in small groups. They stated that they could accommodate him. What should I do I feel like they are not doing everything they should for my son.

  13. I graduated high school in oklahoma in 2006 and they say that they don’t have them. I draw ssi and I’m trying to draw off my dad but they say I need my iep paper work showing me being disabled before I was 22. I got put in special ed. In my 9th grade year. How can I get copies?

  14. I ve been told that I can not receive a copy of my kids new IEP until I sign it and that its amended? And its been a year what do I do?

  15. My sister is 19 and out of school. Can our mother still request her IEPs from middle school? Since my sister is out of school, are they still required to give us her records?

  16. Stockton California I’ve never received a IEP letter when my son was in 11 grade and he’s now in 12 grade.

  17. I am the educational surrogate and an IEP was held on May 27th, 2016. It is July 28th and to date I have not received a draft or any IEP from the Public Schools, Massachusetts. I wrote a gentle reminder letter after 6 weeks, but nothing. What is my recourse for compensatory services or economic recovery?

  18. It takes a week before I receive a copy of the IEP. I received a copy of the IEP at the meeting one time and then two more different ones over 5 days. It’s a poker shoot.

  19. How long does the district actually have from the time of the CSE meeting until providing the IEP? It’s been 3 months and when I called the secretary yelled at me.

    • Maybe you should write an email to the contact person which could be the counselor or the teacher and explain what has happened and how long you’ve waited and copy that email to the team administrater. If that doesn’t work then try to contact the department head of special education in your District. If that doesn’t work then make a phone call to the superintendent’s office and after the phone call follow up with an email thanking him or her for the time and hoping that to resolve the issue. Hope this works.

  20. Hi, We had our IEP meeting in December which was two months after we were supposed to have it due to it being a new school and they stated they had to reevaluate (should have been October). I just received a copy of his IEP, two weeks ago after many requests, but I was never asked to sign this one and because of a miscommunication with the principal I let the meeting with a different interpretation regarding my son’s PE. He is now failing PE and his teacher will not budge because in IEP it stated that I was supposed to provide a new doctor’s note. I did not agree to that. Now we are at the end of the year and they will not let him walk his 8th grade graduation. Is there anything I can do to make them let him walk?

  21. but what if there IS delay? All issues have been settled for next year and still no IEP. I emailed, no reply, then sent formal letters – NO REPLY – what is my next step? How do I get a reply from these people?

  22. Is it written in the law that the school needs to provide the “messy” copy of the IEP at the meeting if the parents request it? My son’s district specialist said, “the law says they don’t need to provide me a copy at the meeting, and because they generate the IEP at the meeting, they have no way to print the notes.” Also, after the meeting is over the specialist and the RSP teacher need to “discuss and go over some things and add to the IEP.” I am no expert but this is shady and I know that’s not allowed!? I have sent several emails over the years stating that I am not ok with this, but I can not find it in the Fed or California codes ?

  23. My school didn’t even write anything down at his IEP and it is now 7 days and the draft copy of it is not to me. We didn’t even talk anything about goals. I think I will be filing a complaint!

  24. Annual IEPs are held the last 9 weeks of school and final copies are handed out 2 days before school is out. This is done to avoid making changes to the IEP. Often IEP have mistakes but there is no recourse until next year. Hoping all will be forgotten over the summer and the new team in unfamiliar with reasons for the change.

  25. Depending on the disability, students can qualify until age 21. You should go to your school and not leave until the copy is in your hand it is your right to view it anytime you wish! You signed it and you should be able to get a copy of it at anytime. Ask her case manger for a copy the counselor may not be the right person to ask.

  26. I have requested a copy of my daughters IEP for a year and the counselor is never able to get it to me.
    Please help. I feel he exited her out of IEP program because she was 18 years old and he never informed me of the meeting. She has had an IEP since she was 3yrs and needs the help more then ever now in college.

  27. We have been waiting for several months for a revised copy of my son’s IEP. Our son has an IEP due to a learning disability in the area of Reading/Spelling/Comprehension. We requested at our annual IEP meeting in November 2014 that we add documentation from a highly trained Physician after a much needed evaluation for our son who met all criteria -diagnosed w attention deficit disorder. I am not sure if they will not add this information because it can not be placed in his IEP (need a separate 504 plan?). They will not give us any information. The Director of Special Education at our school district informed me over the phone after several requests that she would be sending me the revised IEP for the 2013/2014 school year. We now have three days of school left and have not received the revised IEP.

  28. Hello. I was an IEE and attended the IEP for the student I evaluated. I left with horrible feelings of denial of FAPE and other violations. The parent was given a copy of the IEP which was dated at the time of the MET (3 weeks prior to IEP meeting). The IEP itself was in a sealed envelope which was given to the parent. At the IEP, the only copy of the paperwork was in the teacher’s hands and not shared with the other 9 others in attendance. A “signature” page was passed around for everyone to sign. The parent requested various thing be put in the IEP but case manageer would not make changes as “if it is in the IEP and it doesn’t happen, we dont’ want to disappoint parents.” Psychologist stated “we cannot offer a program to meet his needs because it doesn’t exist.” and various other comments. Violation of FAPE? Procedural violation?

  29. It usually takes about a week to a week & 1/2 to get a copy of my son’s IEP. They never have even a draft done at the end of the day. Last time the meeting was on a Monday 2 days before the yearly IEP expired because the original meeting had to be rescheduled due to weather.
    Notes were taken by the special education director, who is adversarial, confrontational, insulting, & condescending. I requested a copy of her notes because things discussed at the meeting with a mediator present were not put in the IEP (getting homework for the week on Mondays because of executive functioning issues, as well as making sure everything got home & back to school) & things he’s had for years, like having his spelling list a week ahead of time, were taken out without discussion. When I requested a copy of the notes taken it was refused.

  30. Never used to but now, The school gives me the hand written IEP right away and REQUIRES me to sign it right away too. And sometimes the written one is different than what was written at the meeting. This is south dakota. The sioux falls district has told me they opted out of Federal Regulations and made there own. I found information that states they can do so if they meet or exceed federal regulations.
    They disagree.

  31. Approximately four months. I was lied to, told it ‘was not yet completed’ etc. Due process is next. The district was not providing the services required by the student and promised in the IEP. Primarily Placement, Curriculum, location of services, degree of services, sufficiency of services,-almost all of IDEA 2004; Section 504; FAPE, LRE, NCLBA, FERPA, Parental Protections, Privacy & Records-both privacy issues and access. failure to monitor progress; failure to provide procedural safeguards even when asked specifically 7 times, 3 to the teacher; 2x the principal; 1x the special education coordinator of the school district; and once the school districts administrator. Child has increasingly presented a substantial risk of harm to self and others. Have contacted DisRightsofWI.

  32. wow I thought I was denied rights. Gee. The law requires schools to allow you to look at your students educational record. As Pete explained we should ask for a list of all Educational Records and where they are kept. Also in same request permission to view those records. There is a time line the school is required to respond within. I’m not positive but think it is 40 days.

  33. 3.5 years and no copies. I cant even get a reply from the state of California – 3 calls per day for 3 days.

  34. IEP/ARD meeting was Dec 13, 2012 and as of today 1/10.14 still no copy despite emailing calling the superintendent of school and special education. I even emailed the Texas Education with no happy response. Still waiting. UGH!

  35. My son is 21 and in the last year of high school. He can graduate, but needs a scribe so he can successfully take 3 New York State Regents test. The school had an meeting with his Medicaid Service Coord (MSC), Principal, and School Counselor, but my son was not at the meeting. According to the MSC, the school agreed to provide the accommodations, but have not given the MSC the IEP yet. Kris has 2 opportunities to take the tests Jan/June. What do I do next?

  36. My child has been in special education since a small child I had good teacher for her when she was younger. for the last two years her 11th and 12th grade year she has had teachers that were prejudice toward her and did not get her the assistance that she needed. she took the exit exam and did not do good on it due to the instructions that was given on it. she could not get her diploma. could some one tell me what to do. I am thinking about getting a attorney to bring charges against the school.

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