Delaware IEP Meeting Checklist: How to Prepare and What to Bring

Most parents walk into IEP meetings underprepared — not because they don't care, but because they don't know what to review beforehand, what to push back on, or how to document what happened after. Here is a practical checklist for Delaware IEP meetings, with the Delaware-specific context that changes how you should prepare.

Before the Meeting: Request and Review

At least one week before:

• Request the draft IEP from the district at least five business days before the meeting. You have the right to review the proposed document before arriving — some districts do not send it proactively. Send an email requesting it.
• Request the most recent progress reports on current IEP goals, if you have not already received them.
• Request the most recent evaluation report if this is an annual review following a triennial re-evaluation.
• Confirm who will attend the meeting. Delaware IEP team requirements include the parent, a general education teacher, a special education teacher, a district representative who can commit to services, and someone who can interpret evaluation results. For initial eligibility meetings, a certified school psychologist must be present. If a required member is absent without your written consent, the meeting may need to be rescheduled.

Reviewing the draft IEP:

• Present levels: Do they accurately describe your child's current functioning? Are they based on recent data, not last year's information? Do they reflect what you observe at home and what teachers see in class?
• Annual goals: Are they measurable? Each goal should have a baseline, a target, conditions for performance, and criteria for mastery. "Will improve reading fluency" is not a measurable goal. "Given grade-level decodable text, Student will read 80 words per minute with 95% accuracy across 3 consecutive probes" is.
• Services: Are the services specific? Each service should list type (speech therapy, resource room, counseling), frequency (times per week), duration (minutes per session), setting (push-in, pull-out, separate), and start date.
• Related services: Does the IEP include all related services your child needs — speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling, transportation? Missing related services are common.
• LRE: Does the placement reflect the least restrictive environment appropriate for your child? Is the amount of time in general education justified?
• Transition (age 14+): Delaware requires transition planning to begin by age 14 or 8th grade, whichever comes first. Does the IEP include postsecondary goals and transition services?
• Accommodations: Are the accommodations specific and tied to the disability's actual impact?

What to Bring to the Meeting

• A copy of the current IEP and draft new IEP, with your notes and questions marked
• Any recent outside evaluations (neuropsychological, speech, OT) with recommendations highlighted
• A list of your priorities and concerns, written down — you will be less likely to forget them under pressure
• A notebook for notes, or your phone for notes
• Any letters or emails from the district you want to reference

Delaware-Specific: Recording the Meeting

Delaware has conflicting statutes on audio recording. One statute follows one-party consent; another applies a stricter all-party consent standard. Advocacy organizations in Delaware recommend notifying the district in advance that you intend to record and requesting consent from all participants. Send an email to the special education coordinator before the meeting stating your intent to record and asking for written confirmation of consent.

Some Delaware districts have written policies on parent recording. Request the policy before your meeting. If the district refuses consent to record, take thorough written notes instead — the goal is documentation, and written notes serve that purpose.

During the Meeting

• State your priorities and concerns early in the meeting, not at the end. The team's documentation of your input should reflect what you raised.
• Ask for clarification on anything vague. If a goal does not seem measurable, ask how progress will be measured and how you will know whether the goal has been met.
• Do not be rushed to sign. You can request time to review the document before signing. You can take the IEP home and request an additional brief meeting if needed.
• If you disagree with a decision — placement, service level, eligibility — say so clearly and ask that your disagreement be noted in the meeting record.
• Bring up anything in the draft that is missing. If speech therapy was on the previous IEP and is not on the draft, ask why it was removed and request that the reason be documented.

After the Meeting

• Send a follow-up email within 24–48 hours summarizing what was agreed to, what you requested, and what the district said. This creates a written record independent of the meeting notes.
• Review the final IEP when you receive it. Compare it to the draft and to your notes from the meeting. If anything was changed from what you understood was agreed to, raise it in writing immediately.
• If you did not sign the IEP at the meeting, understand your options. For initial services, your signed consent is required before services can begin. For annual reviews, services under the previous IEP continue until you sign or the dispute is resolved.
• If you signed under pressure and now regret it: contact the district in writing and state your concerns. You can request an additional IEP meeting to address specific issues. You can also pursue dispute resolution (state complaint, SPARC mediation) for specific disagreements even after signing.

When to Involve Additional Support

Consider bringing an advocate from PIC Delaware (the Parent Information Center) to your IEP meeting if:

• You have had previous IEP meetings where your concerns were not reflected in the written plan
• This is a placement meeting where a significant change is being proposed
• You are in a high-conflict situation with Christina School District or Red Clay Consolidated, both of which have elevated complaint histories in Delaware
• You are navigating a dispute simultaneously (evaluation disagreement, service reduction, disciplinary action)

PIC Delaware provides free support and can attend IEP meetings with families at no charge.

The Delaware IEP & 504 Blueprint includes a complete IEP meeting preparation checklist, goal evaluation tools, a post-meeting follow-up email template, and Delaware-specific guidance for every stage of the IEP process.

See more United States homeschool guides →