Once again I find myself getting phone calls from parents who tell me their school district is telling them they can't have an IEP team meeting during the summer. Is it more difficult to have an IEP team meeting in the summer if you are the school district? Yes. It means that they have to call in teachers, and perhaps other team members, who are not under contract to work during the summer. It means special arrangements have to be made to get them to come in for a meeting. It isn't exactly what the school district wants to do. So, more often than not (in my experience) it results in school districts telling parents they don't hold IEP team meetings over the summer.
This is where I tell parents to write an email that goes something like this:
Dear Director of Special Education,
I recently requested a IEP team meeting to be held in the summer. I was told that the district does not conduct IEP team meetings in the summer. If that is the case, would you please kindly provide me with the district's written policy which states that IEP team meetings are not held during the summer. I look forward to hearing from you.
Most sincerely,
What always happens next is that a follow up phone call or email reveals that there is no such policy.
Think about it, if it were a policy like that, it would essentially restrict a parents' to exercise their rights under the IDEA to 9 months out of the year - at least through IEP team meetings.
Once you've established that they don't have "such policy," ask them again - in writing - for an IEP team meeting. That is if they haven't already offered you one!
