What happens if I don't sign the IEP?

Short answer: Zip. In nearly cases. Only 2-3 states require a parent'due south signature on the IEP to begin services. That is, afterwards the get-go IEP. You commonly have to sign that i to begin services.

But I have heard this from more than parents than I tin can count. "And I am non signing that IEP!"

a mom signing her IEP

I become it. Really I exercise. I mean, I do nourish IEP meetings for a living. I've been to hundreds of them, all kinds of kids, all kinds of districts. I've seen the skilful, the bad, the ugly. And even the unmentionable. And then you lot received an IEP that yous exercise not concord with, and you do not desire to sign that IEP.

And then I get information technology, I know what information technology'due south like to be in a bad IEP situation. But for every bad IEP situation, at that place's always at least one piece of advice that could make it worse. So another one that I hear ofttimes is, "Well then definitely do not sign that IEP." And that is a bad piece of communication generally considering information technology's meaningless.

Here are some things you lot should know about refusing to sign the IEP.

When you don't desire to sign the IEP

In that location are several things I can tell nearly a parent when they proclaim that they are not signing the IEP.

  • You don't hold with your child'southward IEP. Well, duh, thanks Captain Obvious! But, nearly moms come to me with nothing more than than a gut feeling. So when yous are refusing to sign the IEP, your gut is telling you something. Heed to information technology. Pursue this, educate yourself and go along.
  • You experience powerless. Your IEP team may experience like 5 against 1, or even 10 or more. And you feel powerless. But the i power yous have is your signature, and you're going to withhold it.
  • You don't know what not signing the IEP means. The all-time case scenario is that withholding your signature from the IEP volition do a whole lotta zippo. Worst example scenario, in my country, you withhold your signature from the NOREP/PWN (which is our signature form presented with the concluding IEP) and that means information technology automatically goes into upshot in x days. How about that? So, before you stand your ground on not signing the IEP, you ameliorate wait up what happens in your state if yous don't. For near states, nothing happens. California (I remember!) requires your signature to proceed with it, simply they are one of the few states that do. The exception is the initial IEP, but I'chiliad not going to get into that hither.
  • You are unaware of the powers that you lot do hold equally a parent. Parents do take ability in the IEP process, no matter what your team has made you feel similar. Here is a list of five times during the IEP process when your participation is essential.
  • Y'all remember that you lot are in this alone. We all feel solitary at times. But kids with IEPs make up nearly fifteen% of the school population, so you lot are not alone. You experience alone, and that your only way to solve this is to non sign the IEP. Poke effectually your local community, but somehow, some way, y'all've got to observe a support system in this. Moms who go to IEP meetings with a friend or advocate, they don't have to resort to "and I am not signing the IEP!"
  • You lot need more than IEP procedure knowledge. Find workshops. Look upward your state's parent training center (every state has 1!). Simply in addition to the v things I gave you above, you need to learn how to employ the IEP process strategically so that you don't terminate up frazzled and exclaiming "I'thousand not signing this!"

What happens if Parents refuse to sign an IEP?

In most cases, signing or not signing the IEP does very little. Sometimes it's just an attendance sail. In some states, it does mean approval. (Non positive, simply I think it'southward but CA and Mass.) But like anything in the IEP procedure, you demand to know what it ways and non to presume annihilation. Afterwards all, you could be in my state and have it automatically become into effect!

What if a parent disagrees with the IEP?

For starters, get yourself educated on the PWN. Read my post about it. And definitely read your Procedural Safeguards.

How To Disagree With an IEP

Parental Rights are in your Procedural Safeguards booklet. That is the tool you want to use to go your parent concerns addressed. Write a thorough parent concerns alphabetic character, then follow it up by request for all of those items on a PWN. Merely generally, not signing an IEP does not hateful you disagree with it. You must use the dispute resolution procedure outlined past your country. I have all 50 states listed here.

That is a much more than effective strategy to being heard.

Help is out at that place, find information technology and become yourself on the path to less stressful IEP meetings. Expert luck.