IEP meeting over the summer?

[Anonymous]

Just received an outside evaluation report for my child for ASD and would like to submit it to the school for an IEP meeting. DC currently has an IEP for a different diagnosis, but this may provide better services. Next week is the last week of school so the meeting would be over the summer. Should I go ahead and request a meeting to discuss it or wait until school starts? My child will attend summer school and receive services.

[Anonymous]

Do you think the services this summer will change based on the report?
Do you think the school will use this information when creating classes for next year?

I might send the report to the special education coordinator and ask for a meeting to be scheduled the 2nd week of school to determine how the IEP might need to be modified based on this new data. But it does matter a bit on what you think might change.

[Anonymous]

YES, do your utmost to push for an IEP meeting this summer, otherwise your kid won't have the services and accommodations at the start of school, and it might take months to figure out.

Schools are SLOW.

[Anonymous]

Over summer for sure

[Anonymous]

It depends on whether you want your child’s providers to be there. Summer is a skeleton crew and IEP meetings are filled with bodies not necessarily the best people for your child. This isn’t necessarily bad but it’s a consideration.

You can ask and then agree to an extension for the meeting to occur so it happens early in the year. This is personally my preference so that rather than my kid’s IEP being one in a pile to be read, the teacher actually participated.

[Anonymous]

Just have the meeting next year. The first 2-4 weeks they are easing back into team building exercises and assessments. The real school work kicks in slowly.

[Anonymous]

Do it now.

-special education teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just received an outside evaluation report for my child for ASD and would like to submit it to the school for an IEP meeting. DC currently has an IEP for a different diagnosis, but this may provide better services. Next week is the last week of school so the meeting would be over the summer. Should I go ahead and request a meeting to discuss it or wait until school starts? My child will attend summer school and receive services.

There is no way the school has the capability to schedule a meeting before school is out.
My experience with summer meetings with DCPS is that it is done through central office.
No school teachers are present who may know your child. For example, they have a person who is a general education teacher - but not your child's general education teacher.
If your child is getting ESY services, that program is not staffed to support them to attend IEP meetings. (At least not in DCPS)

[Anonymous]

I doubt they will hold one over the summer. Too hard to get teachers in - their contracts do not allow for them to be called in during vacations.

[Anonymous]

I'm an FCPS school psychologist. At least in our district, if you request an IEP over the summer, you will get one with the summer central team. They won't know your child at all or know your school at all. So, it's not necessarily ideal for a lot of situations. I don't think it'll hurt your child much to wait and request it a week or so before the school year (then your LSC coordinator will be back in the office and ready to organize a meeting with at least some of your school team).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just have the meeting next year. The first 2-4 weeks they are easing back into team building exercises and assessments. The real school work kicks in slowly.

No, absolutely not. You want the IEP in place before school starts, so teachers aren't scrambling to change their perception of your kid while they adjust to their new school year. Do the research, ask for the services and accommodations you think your kid will need. You can always ask for an additional IEP meeting during the year, you're not limited to one! But it's better to have something in place right away, then modify things as the rubber hits the road, than to start from scratch when everyone is distracted and running around with the heads cut off. It's not like the teacher can easily give feedback based on a few weeks of school anyway, in some cases. You know your kid best.

[Anonymous]

I will would wait. It's a different team over the summer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you think the services this summer will change based on the report?
Do you think the school will use this information when creating classes for next year?

I might send the report to the special education coordinator and ask for a meeting to be scheduled the 2nd week of school to determine how the IEP might need to be modified based on this new data. But it does matter a bit on what you think might change.

Agree.
If you do request it now, it may go to a summer team (not your school team). They don’t know your child or your school. There are disadvantages to your child in this situation.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you all. Went ahead and requested it, and scheduled the meeting for later in the summer. It took some effort, but we would really like things in place before the first day. I’m willing to take my chances with a summer team after bad experiences last year. We have representation for the meeting too.