IEP Meetings & Paper Trails during COVID-19 School Closure
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“Are school districts required to hold annual IEPs, triennials, and initial IEPs meetings with schools closed? Can IEP meetings be postponed until schools re-open?”
In March 2020, COVID-19 forced States to close K-12 schools. These schools are unlikely to re-open for several months, leading to questions about how to proceed. School administrators considered how to deal with timelines for IEP meetings. The idea of postponing IEP meetings until schools re-opened was floated.
Should schools postpone IEP meetings until after schools re-open? Let's think about this question. How would postponing IEP meetings actually work? Who will benefit from a decision to postpone IEP meetings? Who will be harmed?
For answers to these and other questions, read Coronavirus FAQs: Can IEP Meetings Be Postponed Until Schools Re-Open?
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"If it is not in writing, it was not said. If it is not in writing, it did not happen." - Pete Wright
You need to create a paper trail that documents your child’s special education during the school closure. You can use low-tech tools - journals, logs, calendars, and letters to create your paper trail.
When you train yourself to write things down, you are protecting your child’s interests.
If you have a dispute with the school later, your paper trail is independent evidence that will support your memory. Documents that support your position will help you resolve disputes early.
This article is from our advocacy book, Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy. The book includes chapters about paper trails and letter-writing. You learn how to use logs, journals and calendars, Problem Reports and about the Art of Writing Letters.
Originally posted in Wrightslaw newsletter
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