# Education & Schools — IEP Process & Advocacy (Public Schools)

- Parents must formally request an IEP evaluation in writing; the district is legally required to complete it (30 days in Missouri; up to 60 days in some Kansas districts) — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- The evaluation determines *whether* an IEP is warranted — it is not a guarantee — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- An IEP is valid for one year, with a mid-year review and an end-of-year review — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- IEP = academic goals and services; 504 = medical or behavioral accommodations — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- Go into the meeting "as the person in charge" — bring your own goals, questions, and expected outcomes — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- Bring your child's outside therapists (BCBA, speech, OT, PT) — they speak the school's language and catch missing or weak provisions — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- You can record the meeting — many families notify 24 hours in advance; check local consent rules — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- Do not sign the IEP on the spot — take it home, mark it up, and reconvene; the school cannot finalize without parent consent — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- Schools should share the draft IEP at least two weeks before the meeting; less than a week is a red flag — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- Goals must be SMART — numeric baseline + target + timeline ("identify 30 sight words, currently at 10"), not "improve reading" — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- Beware compound-probability goals ("70% of the time, 2 out of 4 trials" ≈ 35%) that obscure actual progress — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- Request data and graphs of progress; ask what interventions are being used to move the needle — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- You cannot dictate service minutes (schools have caseload constraints) — focus on what happens *during* the minutes, and argue for more indirectly by showing goal-count vs. minutes mismatch — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- If a request is denied, ask for a Prior Written Notice (PWN) documenting the denial and rationale — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- If you disagree with the school's evaluation, request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- IEPs cannot be finalized without parental consent — you can pause indefinitely — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- "No news is good news" is not acceptable — maintain assertive, kind, documented communication, and CC administrators if it degrades — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- Ask what the program (CLASS, SAIL, etc.) *actually looks like* in practice before accepting a placement; don't assume a more-restrictive setting is bad, and don't accept one without understanding the trade-offs — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- Framework: Discovery → Acceptance → Embracing — cyclical, not linear; every new characteristic can put you back at Discovery — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

- 90-Day First-Steps Handbook for newly diagnosed families, written in parent-friendly language — *[Ivory Duncan, Apr 2026](/sessions/20260419_Ivory_Duncan_IEP_Advocacy/notes.md)*

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