Free tool
IEP meeting script: what to say, word for word
A complete script below, ready to read or print. Then a generator that rewrites the same six sections for your specific situation. No signup, nothing to pay.
- What to say when you sit down
- Your request, phrased with legal weight
- Responses to common school pushback
- How to pin down next steps before you leave
- How to confirm agreements on the record
- A follow-up email template
A complete example script
This is a real script for a common situation: the school proposes removing a 1:1 aide because the child has “made progress.” Read it through, then use the generator below to get the same six sections written for your situation. Copy it, print it, take it in.
Opening
Set the tone. You are a team member, not a guest.
“Thank you all for making time. I've read the draft and the progress data, and I want to be useful here, so I'll be direct about what I'm asking for and why.”
“Before we start — I'd like to make sure we're working from the same information. I've brought copies of the behavior data from the last two reporting periods.”
Your request
Say the specific ask, once, in plain words, and ask for it in the document.
“I'm requesting that the 1:1 support during lunch and recess stay in the IEP as written.”
“My understanding is that the proposal to remove it is based on progress in the classroom. The data I have shows the opposite pattern in unstructured settings — nine incidents last term, seven of them at lunch or recess.”
“So my request is that the service remain, and that the IEP reflect the unstructured parts of the day specifically, rather than the school day as a whole.”
If they say no
This is the section that matters. Do not argue — ask for the refusal in writing.
“I understand we may not agree today, and that's all right. If the team is declining my request, I'm requesting prior written notice.”
“For the record, what I'd expect that notice to include is the reason for the refusal, the data the team relied on, and the other options the team considered and why each was rejected.”
“I'm not asking anyone to change their mind in this meeting. I'm asking that the decision and its basis be documented, which is what I'd need before deciding what to do next.”
Why this works: This works because a district must give prior written notice when it refuses to change identification, evaluation, placement, or the provision of FAPE — and the notice has to state the options considered and why they were rejected. It is a request for documentation, not a threat, and it changes the conversation more reliably than raising your voice.
If they need more time
Never leave with 'we'll look into it.' Leave with a date.
“That's fair — I'd rather the team have what it needs than decide today.”
“Can we set a date now? I'd like to reconvene within the next two weeks, and I'd like the data we're missing circulated at least two days before, so nobody is reading it for the first time in the room.”
“I'll send an email this afternoon with what we've agreed so far and the date, so we all have the same record.”
If they agree
Say it back out loud. Agreements that only happened verbally tend to evaporate.
“Thank you. Let me say back what I think we've agreed so I know I have it right.”
“The 1:1 support stays, the IEP will name lunch and recess specifically, and the data will be reported to me monthly rather than at the reporting period.”
“Is that what the rest of the team understood? I'll send a follow-up email today confirming it, and I'd like the amended IEP within the timeline in our procedural safeguards.”
The follow-up email
Send it within 24 hours. This is the paper trail.
Subject: Follow-up: [Child]'s IEP meeting, [date]
Hello [names],
Thank you for meeting today about [child]. I wanted to confirm my understanding of what we discussed and agreed:
• [Agreement one — e.g. the 1:1 support during lunch and recess remains in the IEP] • [Agreement two — e.g. the IEP will specify unstructured settings] • [Agreement three — e.g. behavior data will be shared monthly]
Still open: [anything unresolved, and the date you agreed to revisit it].
If I've misunderstood any of the above, please correct me in writing so we have an accurate record. Otherwise I'll take this as our shared summary.
Thank you again, [your name] [phone]
Three things worth knowing before you go in
- You are a required member of the IEP team, not a visitor being consulted. A meeting held without you, or a decision made before you arrived, is a problem you are allowed to name.
- You can request a meeting at any time — you do not have to wait for the annual review.
- If you disagree with the district’s evaluation, you can request an independent educational evaluation at public expense. The district either funds it or has to defend its own evaluation at a hearing.
Sources: 34 CFR § 300.503 (prior written notice), § 300.321 (IEP team membership), § 300.502 (independent educational evaluation). Federal law is the floor; your state may give you more.
Now make it yours
Describe what the school is doing and what you need. You’ll get the same six sections written for your child’s situation.