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.

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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 first ppt was in September 2022 the second was Octobe. My son was referred for services. But even with a medical diagnosis of autism they are refusing to carry the diagnosis over saying it won’t effect him receiving services but he barely gets services. So they are diagnosing him as ohi because observation showed adhd as well. it’s been almost a month and after requesting twice for a copy of the IEP i still haven’t received one All I’ve gotten are emails with excuses as to why I don’t have it yet. I don’t know what to do!

  2. Hi,
    At my child’s school they hold IEP meetings virtually. During the meeting I am presented with a summarized version of the draft IEP on a powerpoint presentation with bullet points. I do not see the actual documents. I am asked to agree and consent without seeing the official document. The official document is sent to me days later for a signature. Is this legal?

    • The IEP you were presented as a PP is a draft. You do not have to consent to a draft IEP. It wouldn’t be unusual for you to request more services or different services, or need more time to consider it.

      Request a physical printed copy of their draft so you can consider it.

      • I received the draft copy of my Child’s IEP. His present Levels were from Kindergarten, his goals were word for word and his IEP from Kindergarten. Nothing has been updated. Is this allowed?

  3. My child’s IEP was help May 2020. I have still not received a copy of the IEP. I have written and called the director of special ed in my school district seven times since June 2020. I have not received a response since October 2020 and that response was that it would be completed in a few days. My daughter’s annual IEP is later this month and there is still no written IEP from last year. What does the law say about this? I am in California. Thank you

    • I see two options: Go up the chain of command complaint process that the district should have, &/or make a written complaint to the state education agency with a copy to the principal, & special ed director. You can get general information, & specific information on these options from your state parent training and information project.  http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center

    • Wow! That’s not okay at all (special education teacher here). Why can’t they get you a copy of it? Does she have a case manager?

  4. Typically I always get my copy of the IEP before I leave the meeting. However, this year they are not doing that. I had an IEP meeting 39 days ago and I still have not received a copy of these documents. What can I do?

    • If you have not done so, I would suggest writing to the principal, & special ed director requesting it, & an explanation for the delay. If you have done that, another request would be appropriate, & perhaps a complaint to the state education agency.

  5. Our first IEP meeting was 3 days before the end of school year. We were found eligible and proceeded to write up an IEP. I have yet to receive the final (or any) copy of the IEP. Is this normal because of the summer break? Or should I have already received it? I expected to receive it VIA mail over the summer. ~ East Texas

    • With summer starting that is probably what happened. The district or coop special ed director & secretary should be back at work around the first of August. So you can start calling and writing them around that time. I work for the TX parent training and information center. I live East of Dallas, & we have staff in the Longview, & Beaumont areas. If you need help you can reach me at cnoe59@hotmail.com. You can learn about us at http://www.prntexas.org/

  6. Can a District tell a parent that they will send a copy of her child’s IEP digitally through email and not a hard copy through regular mail?

      • This response does not seem right. Is there someone here who could verify it. If a parent has limited access to technology this would interfere with their right to participate in the IEP process. Many low-income and migrant families have a cel phone at most, which may not be set up to view documents.

        • The answer would be yes, if the parent is ok with this, but they have the right to have a copy they can access. So they can ask for a copy “hard” copy.

  7. I’m on Long Island & our review was always scheduled for the end of the year so there were times when it’s taken MONTHS to get a copy of my son’s IEP, only to find things changed. I’ve asked for a rough draft at the end of the meeting & been told “We don’t do that”. I’ve asked for a draft copy prior to the meeting so I’d be prepared w/ my own input & was told “We can’t do that because it could be considered predetermination” (really?). I’ve even simply asked for a copy of the special ed teacher’s draft goals because I myself, have ADHD & need some idea of the proposed changes so I can actively engage in the discussion w/o having to worry about documenting every word & was told “No, work product does not classify as a part of [my] son’s files

  8. Meeting was over a month ago – nothing. I have a feeling because they denied everything requested. My daughter has hearing loss and celiacs on top of other issues. At this meeting they refused a back up plan for the hearing equipment on top of equipment that was taken away from my daughter due to a class/teacher move. Due to the teacher aggessive behavior and yelling daily at my child. This teacher also turned off her FM system that helps her hear. The teacher for the hearing impaired did not do anything to fix this issue. I was never notified nor was any meeting held. I had to ask for a meeting due to what was going on. I requested an educational audiologist.The other requests were all still surrounding her celiacs and her right to a celiac safe gluten free lunch. HELP 🙁 This is wrong.

    • It sounds like You Vs. Them…which is rather sad (but common), since the IEP Team should behave like a team with only your daughter’s best interests on the agenda. When adaptive equipment is needed for a child to access their curricula, there is no debate – it MUST be made available.

      Quite honestly, removing her ability to hear by knowingly disabling a device would be considered abuse in the world that I live in. I hope that isn’t what happened!

      You can contact your local Parent Center (per Chuck’s link posted below), and try to find an advocate to attend a meeting with you. Or Google your state’s Disability Rights organization – they usually go by “Disability Rights California, or whatever state you are in.

    • Deb, have you been keeping a log or written record of unresolved problems? I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for parents to keep a paper trail of their dealings with the school – especially when things go south.

      You represent your child’s interests. You may know we wrote a book for parents who want to learn how to advocate for their children. You may have a copy of Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy. We wrote 3 chapters about how to keep records, how to write letters, sample letters, and much more. You can also find some of this information on Wrightslaw.com.

  9. I have problems getting a copy of the IEP after a meeting. I am told by the teacher, I will get the IEP printed and sent home with my son. then a few days later hr brings home the signature page with a letter or phone call that it MUST be signed because it has been 10 days. Problem is I only get the last page, not the whole document! They never give me the document until I have already sign the last page, Am I not supposed to have a period of time to review BEFORE I sign??

  10. Hi I am trying to get information on going from and IEP to a 504. If we opt our son out of IEP services, as he starts his senior year, can he still have a 504. If he test out of IEP services can he have a 504. He is diagnosed with Dyslexia.

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