The IEP Team

Who is on my child’s IEP team?

IEP is the acronym for Individualized Education Program. When your child qualifies for special education, an IEP is developed and maintained by the IEP team.

Who is on the IEP team? The IEP team consists of a parent (or student who has turned 18), a student (encouraged when appropriate), a special education teacher, a general education teacher, and an LEA (Local Education Agency) representative. These are the titles of the minimum attendees creating a legal IEP team meeting.

The school is responsible for inviting the appropriate staff, parent and student. You will receive an invite from the school.

Who else is on the IEP Team?

The make-up of the IEP team is as unique as your child. Any school staff member that plays an integral part in your student’s educational progress should attend. You can also request to have specific school staff (teacher, counselor, nurse) attend. Your requests should be in writing. Even if you have spoken to the administration or teacher in person, you should still back it up with an email.

Schools should respond to a parent request within a reasonable amount of time. 

You also have the right to invite outside agencies such as private specialists, and advocates to your child’s IEP meetings. You will need to be the one to invite them, since outside agencies are not employees of the school district.

Examples of IEP team meeting attendance 

A 10^th Grader Diagnosed With A Learning Disability

Your 10^th grader is diagnosed with a learning disability in reading comprehension. Additionally, they struggle with documented attention issues. You might want to make sure that all of your student’s teachers attend the meeting, including the school counselor. 

I denote all of the teachers since high schoolers have many different teachers, and there is no academic class that does not include reading. Even the teachers of the classes in which the student finds their strengths should be invited. 

The school counselor should be present to discuss your child’s graduation progress and evolving plans for life after high school. It is important for the whole team to understand your student’s long term goals and interests.

A 3rd Grader With Intensive Needs

On the other hand, you might have a 3^rd grader with intensive needs who is medically fragile. In addition to the required IEP team members, the school nurse should also be present. You should also be aware of any related service providers who need to discuss your child’s progress and goals. For example, related service providers might include an occupation therapist (OT), physical therapist (PT) or speech and language pathologist (SLP), among others. You, as the parent, also have the right to invite any outside agencies you choose, such as non-school district providers, involved in your child’s care outside of school hours (you would make private provider invites yourself). 

Advocate Attendance at an IEP Team Meeting

There are also times when the attendance of an advocate may be helpful. An advocate understands laws and rights surrounding special education and 504 disability. They should also be experienced in mediating challenging or contentious situations/topics that may be discussed in your IEP team meetings. An advocate can be a key part of your support structure as you navigate the special education system. Want to know more about advocacy and when different types of advocacy are relevant? The Learning Disabilities Association of America explains it well.

Inclusion of A General Education Teacher

The IEP must still include a general education teacher even if your child is not interacting with any general education activities outside of the special education classroom. In some instances, you may want to excuse the general education teacher or, you may want to invite a general education teacher who may work with your student in the near future.

Conclusion

The make-up of IEP teams is as individual as the specific needs of your child. This means you can increase or decrease the number of people in your child’s meeting as needed. Having said this, there are certain individuals who must be present. If you need, I can help in suggesting the make-up of teams and how to go about requesting and inviting various individuals. Just get in touch.