Quick Listen (5 Minutes or Less): The Critical Importance of Accurate IEP Meeting Notes

IEP Meeting notes; a part of the IEP process that is often overlooked, or does not reflect what the IEP team agreed to.

IEP meeting notes allow parties not on the IEP team to understand and effectively implement the special program program.

In any dispute between parents and school districts,  the notes help mediators and others who are analyzing the IEP to, again, understand the itent of the IEP team.

With this episode, I am providing a link to a writing by a prominent California law firm that represents district in disputes with parents.  

Parents can use those recommendations as a guide to what should be in notes, and how they should be memorialized.

Here is a link the law firm's note recommendations:

Lozano Smith: essentials of note taking:

https://www.lozanosmith.com/docs/resources/IEP_Note_Taking.pdf

Thanks to  soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/) 

Transcript

The Critical Importance of Accurate IEP Meeting Notes

One of the keys to an effective IEP program is having IEP notes clearly explain what the team intends with the goals, services and so on they are agreeing to.

This is also one of the most overlooked parts of the IEP, and it can create confusion and conflict if they are not complete and accurate.

To ensure you have an IEP that contains accurate notes, always audio record IEP meetings, without exception. 

If the official IEP notes are not an accurate description of the meeting; use an AI or non-AI transcription app to make a word for word transcript.  This allows you to highlight inaccuracies and omissions.

Districts are usually reluctant to change meeting notes.  If they won’t change them, you have the right to add a document to the IEP file that can clarify your concerns.  It won’t have a page number so is not a legal part of the document but is attached to it and is included the child’s special education file.

This episode includes a link to a writing that describes what a prominent California special education law firm that represents districts in parent disputes advises their school districts how to take notes.  They clearly lay out what IEP notes need to contain.

I’m going to briefly summarize some of what the law firm recommends.  However, there is a link to an online version.  I would highly recommend you download it and use it to determine if your child’s IEP team is recording the proceedings accurately.

 Here are a few of the firm’s recommendations:

-       Parent participation is an essential factor, and a legal requirement, in the development of the IEP. Documenting parents’ questions, concerns and/or other input is therefore an essential way to demonstrate that the requirement for parental participation is satisfied. The IEP notes should reflect, where appropriate, parents’ areas of agreement, disagreement, requests, and/or additional comments.

-       While the offer of a FAPE should be clearly documented in the “services box” on the IEP, summarizing the offer of a FAPE in the IEP notes can clarify what the IEP team agreed upon at the meeting. This can be particularly helpful where there are multiple IEP meetings to discuss student’s offer of a FAPE.

-       The District should attempt to avoid the use of the following in the IEP: Boiler plate language, Terms of “art” (this is me; in legal terms I think this means using certain language as a sort of shorthand to describe complex issues) Inconsistencies within the IEP, and last, the use of accusatory language. 

 By taking the steps above, you can contribute to bettering IEP practices in your school district.  Holding your school accountable is an effective way of reforming their special education practices.

Writing referred to in the episode: 

Lozano Smith: essentials of note taking:

https://www.lozanosmith.com/docs/resources/IEP_Note_Taking.pdf