What to Do When Schools Quietly Edit IEPs Between Meetings
By: Becca Phillips, Advocate
As a parent of a child with an Individualized Education Program (IEP), you expect transparency and legally, you are entitled to be a part of every decision made. You attend IEP meetings, are an active participant in discussions and provide your input on decisions that directly impact your child’s education. You may leave your child’s IEP meeting feeling optimistic where the team just discussed goals, services, and support. You gave input and you thought decisions were made together as a team. Then the “final” IEP arrives and it’s different. It can be alarming, if not confusing and even infuriating, to discover that changes were made to your child’s IEP after the meeting, without your knowledge or consent.
You may notice that goals are worded differently, services look reduced, accommodations discussed are missing or topics of conversations discussed during the meeting weren’t actually included. Parents may be left wondering: Can the school do this? And what should I do now?
Unfortunately, this situation can happen more often than many parents realize so let’s break down what schools are allowed to change between IEP meetings, what they legally cannot change, and what you can do if this happens to your child's IEP.
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), school districts are required to develop, review, and revise a child’s IEP in a collaborative way with you as the parent, given that you are a core member of the team (34 C.F.R. § 300.321). There are two main pathways for changes to an IEP:
Formal IEP Meeting Revision
Amendments Without a Meeting (if agreed in writing)
IDEA specifically recognizes both options (34 C.F.R. § 300.324) but with strict safeguards. Every IEP must be reviewed at least once a year with your IEP team to discuss your child’s progress and consider evaluation data or new information. Significant changes such as adjusting services, changing placement, or altering goals are typically done during these meetings, where you have a chance to be an active participant and advocate for your child.
Amendments that Occur Without a Meeting
IDEA allows the IEP to be amended without convening a full IEP team meeting only if both you and the school agree to the amendment. An IEP Amendment is intended for minor adjustments, such as clarifying wording, correcting information, or adjusting a schedule slightly, but not for major decisions such as reducing services or changing placement.
Key conditions when you and the school team may agree to amend and IEP without coming together for a formal IEP meeting include:
You and the team have both agreed that a full meeting is not needed
The changes are in a written document attached to or incorporated into the existing IEP
All members of the IEP team are informed of the changes to then be implemented appropriately
The school has provided you with a Prior Written Notice (PWN) that informs you of the changes and is provided to you before the proposed changes occur
If either you as the parent/guardian or the school team does not agree with the amendment processes, the changes cannot be legally made without coming together as a team and remember you always have the right as the parent to request a meeting even if the school proposes not to meet.
Schools Cannot Unilaterally Change Your Child’s IEP
Despite what some districts or school teams may try to do, schools cannot simply “edit” the IEP between meetings without your knowledge. IDEA places a strong emphasis on meaningful parent participation, so when schools make changes outside your presence, it can amount to a procedural violation. Even clerical corrections as “simple” as fixing a date, need to be documented and communicated. Major substantive edits are not allowed without an IEP meeting or your agreement to an amendment.
Here are some examples of what shouldn’t happen:
The school changes goals, services, placement, or accommodations without a meeting or your agreement.
The school revises goals or services by email draft without confirming you agreed to either the change or the no-meeting amendment process.
The IEP document itself is altered after you sign it without your agreement or proper notice.
You have the right to participate in all IEP decisions impacting your child, receive prior written notice before changes are made, and the ability to refuse an amendment without a meeting and instead request a full IEP meeting. You have the right to obtain a revised copy of your child’s IEP with changes incorporated and challenge decisions through dispute resolution options if necessary.
If a school is proposing changes or have seemingly made changes between the draft IEP you saw during the meeting and the IEP they send you post-meeting to finalize, always ask for written documentation of the change and speak up when you notice changes. If you feel that changes were made without your consent, request an IEP meeting in writing and keep copies of all communications. Review your state’s special education procedural safeguards (parent rights handbook), as they build on IDEA’s requirements and will inform you of your rights.
Your Involvement Matters
Your involvement matters and the law supports that. IDEA does allow some editing of IEPs between meetings, but only when you agree to it and your rights to notice and involvement are respected. Without agreement, schools must use the formal IEP team meeting process. Compare your notes from the meeting to the final IEP that is sent to you to ensure it matches. If something doesn’t feel right or you can see changes made without your consent, trust your instinct that something is “off”, ask questions, and don’t hesitate to assert your rights. Your child’s education is too important to be handled “quietly” or behind the scenes without your active involvement.
If you notice changes, respond back to the school team calmly but clearly. For example, you can say: “The IEP I received does not reflect what was discussed and agreed upon during the IEP meeting on (date). Please explain when and why these changes were made.” Doing this creates a paper trail and signals that you are paying attention. Do not sign off on the final IEP if you do not agree. If changes are substantive, I would encourage you to request you reconvene as a team. If the team insists on changes you do not agree with, always ask for a PWN. Remember, IEP meetings are not “optional conversations” and any changes made after the meeting are team decisions that must be done through the amendment process. If you need help navigating a situation like this, book a call and we can talk more.
