The IDEA allows parents of students with disabilities to obtain an independent educational evaluation if they disagree with a district evaluation. Because a student’s educational program and placement are premised upon the results of an evaluation, the right to obtain an IEE is essential for parents who suspect that the district’s evaluation has not discerned the true nature of a student’s disabilities and resulting needs.
This update includes the most recent cases from federal courts on IEEs, several of which were issued by U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal. It also includes the full text of recent guidance from the Office for Special Education Programs.
To help districts understand their obligations when a parent requests an IEE, LRP Media Group, a recognized leader in the special education publishing industry, has released Independent Educational Evaluations: Your Guide to Districts’ IDEA Obligations and Parents’ Rights.
This updated pamphlet helps the reader learn how to:
- Place limits on the scope of an IEE without interfering with the parents’ or student’s right to one.
- Document that the IEP team “considered” independent evaluations submitted by the parents.
- Comply with child find obligations if parents present information/documentation that the district didn’t have previously (i.e., that should prompt the district to conduct an evaluation).
- Provide sufficient information to parents about district IEE criteria so they can make informed choices about, for example, which evaluator to choose, or whether to seek a waiver of a cost cap.
This resource is a must-have for the busy educator looking for guidance on how to best comply with an IEE request.
Independent Educational Evaluations: Your Guide to Districts’ IDEA Obligations and Parents’ Rights is available is available for purchase from LRP Publications’ .
