leaving an IEP meeting without signing

[GinAndTonic]

We have an IEP meeting tomorrow morning. I'd like to take the school's planned IEP, not sign it yet, and run it past my son's psychiatrist (he's an expert on IEPs). Is this an odd thing to do, to leave without signing?

I plan on doing it even if it is odd -- I just want to know if it is!

 

[Sheila]

The sd likes for parents to sign at the close of the meeting, but you don't have to. I take them home, and read them myself.

 

[lordhelpme]

i never sign at the mtg. i always take it home and re-read it. last yr they didn't include his one on one in the iep and i only caught that when i got home.
the principle at our home sd told 2 moms i know that they had to sign that day or it wouldn't get implemented. bold faced lie!

you don't ever have to sign(though if you disagree with-something you should check the box about not agreeing with-iep) it just know that they are obligated to implement the iep on the 15th business day after your mtg(at least that is the law here in mich)

i went to a conference this past fall and the speaker(and avocate) said to never sign it that day, so no it is not odd at all to take it home and return it.

 

[GinAndTonic]

Update: I told the IEP team that I wasn't going to sign it, that I wanted to run it past his shrink. They all thought that was a great idea!

 

[SRL]

In Illinois we don't sign to agree with the IEP, the signature is proof of attendance only.

 

[Martie]

SRL is correct; in IL there is no signature except "attendance" but if a parent does not know that, advantage AD.

IDEA 2004 requires parent consent to all significant changes. That was not true previously. Sign once, and you signed you kid's educational choices away. It is unclear whether or not it is possible to reuse instructional parts of an IEP but YOU can refuse a service without withdrawing the child from Sp Ed.

It sounds as though this situation is better than most because the SD wanted the psychiatrist to look at the IEP.

Martie