Assistive Technology and Placement Options on a Georgia IEP

Two elements of the Georgia IEP that parents consistently underuse are assistive technology and placement. AT is usually discussed only when a child has obvious physical or communication needs, but federal and state law require the IEP team to consider AT for every child with a disability — not just those who seem like obvious candidates. And placement on a Georgia IEP is not simply which classroom a child sits in: it is a formal determination with legal protections attached, and the school cannot change it without following a specific process.

What Georgia Law Requires for Assistive Technology

Under IDEA and Georgia Rule 160-4-7, every IEP team must consider whether the child needs assistive technology devices and services as part of their IEP. This is not optional. The word "consider" has teeth — the team cannot simply skip the question. If the team determines AT is not needed, that determination should be documented. If it is not documented and a parent later asks, the procedural gap is a concern.

An assistive technology device is any item, piece of equipment, or product system — commercial, modified, or customized — that is used to increase, maintain, or improve a child's functional capabilities. This definition is intentionally broad and includes:

• Speech-generating devices and AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) systems
• Specialized keyboards and input devices
• Text-to-speech software (such as Learning Ally, Read&Write, or built-in accessibility features)
• Word prediction programs
• Electronic organizers and task management tools
• Calculators and math support tools
• FM systems for students with hearing impairments
• Low-tech supports like visual schedules, pencil grips, and slant boards

An assistive technology service includes the evaluation of a child's AT needs, acquisition of devices, coordination with other therapies, training for the child, family, and educators, and technical assistance with using and maintaining devices.

Georgia's GPAT Resource

Georgia operates the Georgia Project for Assistive Technology (GPAT), a state-funded technical support initiative that provides LEAs with AT evaluations, training, and lending libraries. GPAT can conduct evaluations and loan devices to schools for trial periods before purchase commitments are made.

If the district has not considered AT and you believe your child would benefit, you can request a formal AT evaluation. Frame the request around specific educational tasks where your child is struggling — reading grade-level text, producing written work, expressing ideas verbally, managing multi-step tasks. The more specific the functional context, the clearer the AT need.

Importantly, AT devices that belong to the district — purchased with public funds as part of the child's IEP — may be used by the child at home if the team determines home use is necessary to provide FAPE. This is frequently overlooked. If a child uses a text-to-speech device during the school day to access text, they may need the same access to complete homework. The IEP team can authorize home use; the district cannot categorically refuse simply because devices "stay at school."

Requesting an AT Evaluation

Submit a written request to your child's IEP team or case manager. State that you are requesting an assistive technology evaluation as part of the IEP process and that you believe AT may be necessary for your child to access their educational program. Be specific about the areas of difficulty: "My child is unable to produce legible written work at grade-level volume and speed" or "My child's expressive language deficits prevent them from participating in verbal instruction without support."

The request triggers the IEP team's obligation to consider whether an evaluation is warranted. If the team denies the evaluation request, they must provide prior written notice with an explanation. That written denial is the starting point for a disagreement — you can then request mediation or file a state complaint.

Georgia's IEP Placement Continuum

Placement is a formal IEP decision. Georgia Rule 160-4-7 requires that placement be:

1. Based on the child's IEP
2. In the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) — meaning the most integrated setting where FAPE can be delivered
3. As close as possible to the child's home school
4. Among non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate
5. Determined by the IEP team, not the district's administrative convenience

Georgia officially recognizes several models of special education service delivery on the continuum from least to most restrictive:

Consultation. The child remains in the general education classroom with no direct special education teacher contact. The special education teacher consults with the general education teacher about strategies and accommodations. Appropriate for students who need minimal support.

Supportive Instruction. The child is in general education with support from a paraprofessional, interpreter, or job coach — but not direct special education teacher instruction. The para implements strategies developed by the special education team.

Collaboration. The special education teacher provides direct services to the identified child within the general education classroom for less than a full class period daily.

Co-Teaching. The special education teacher and general education teacher share instructional responsibility within the same classroom for a full class period every day. This is a commonly proposed model but requires genuine co-teaching, not the special educator sitting in the room grading papers.

Alternative Placement. The special education teacher provides instruction in a separate setting — a resource room, a self-contained classroom, a separate school, or a home/hospital setting. This is the most restrictive option and requires documented evidence that less restrictive settings with appropriate supports cannot deliver FAPE.

What the LRE Requirement Actually Means

The Least Restrictive Environment requirement does not mean a child must always be in a general education setting. It means the district must place the child in the most integrated setting where their IEP can be appropriately implemented. For some children, that is a general education classroom with co-teaching. For others, it is a self-contained alternative placement with community integration activities.

What the LRE requirement prohibits: placing a child in a more restrictive setting than is necessary for FAPE, without documenting why less restrictive options with supplementary aids and services are insufficient. This is directly relevant to parents whose children are being proposed for GNETS or highly restrictive self-contained classrooms — the district must show the work.

When the District Proposes a Placement Change

If the district proposes changing your child's placement — moving them from a collaborative setting to an alternative placement, or from a general education setting to a self-contained classroom — they must provide prior written notice before making the change. You have the right to consent or disagree.

If you disagree with the proposed placement and invoke your right to a due process hearing, the "stay put" provision means your child remains in their current placement while the dispute is resolved. This is a powerful protection that parents frequently do not know to invoke.

If the district has already changed the placement without proper notice and consent, that is an IEP procedural violation that supports a state complaint.

The Georgia IEP & 504 Blueprint includes a placement decision checklist, an AT request letter template, and guidance on how to invoke "stay put" protections when you disagree with a proposed placement change.

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