Writing an Individualized Education Plan

page 5

Prior Written Notice

Placement should NEVER be discussed until these steps have been taken. Placement should NEVER be something that is of convenience for the district rather than designed to meet the unique needs of your child. It is good to remember that special education is NEVER a place. It is always a service.

At the end of the meeting the district writes the Prior Written Notice. Included should be a list of all the recommendations that were presented by all team members. Then the district is required to state whether each recommendation was accepted by the team, rejected, and also state why each suggestion was accepted or rejected. This is required under Prior Written Notice, although to my knowledge, districts are just learning about this requirement. I have seen an administrator do it this way and it was wonderful. Everyone had a real record of what ideas had been accepted or discarded and why. I would encourage you to read the article at this site on Prior Written Notice. It can be a very powerful tool for parents if you ask your district to meet this requirement of IDEA.

This article is a very basic outline of the steps that should take place when writing an IEP. Of course, other information is included in an IEP such as medications, transportation, therapies, etc. But I wanted to show you an uncluttered outline IDEA's expectations during the IEP process.

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