New Hampshire IEP Meeting Checklist: How to Prepare Before, During, and After the Meeting

Walking into an IEP meeting unprepared is like signing a contract you haven't read. The IEP document you leave with is legally binding—it determines what services your child receives, who provides them, how often, and under what conditions. What you do before the meeting determines how much influence you have over that document.

Before the Meeting: What to Gather

Request records before you arrive. At least a week before the meeting, request:

• Your child's current IEP
• Recent progress reports on IEP goals
• Any evaluation reports completed since the last IEP
• Attendance and service delivery logs for related services (speech, OT, PT, counseling)
• Any incident reports or behavioral documentation

You have the right to these records. Put the request in writing and address it to the Special Education Director or case manager. If you have difficulty obtaining records, note that New Hampshire requires the district to provide them within a reasonable timeframe.

Review progress on current goals. For each goal in the current IEP:

• Was there a measurable baseline?
• What does the progress data show?
• Did the service specified in the IEP actually happen as written?

If services were missed or delivered less frequently than the IEP specifies, document the discrepancy before the meeting. This is the foundation of a compensatory education claim if services were routinely skipped.

Prepare your own observations. Write down specific examples from the last year:

• Situations where your child struggled at home that may reflect school-based skill deficits
• Situations where your child succeeded that may not be reflected in school data
• Changes in behavior, mood, sleep, or anxiety that may be connected to school experiences
• Any outside evaluations, therapy notes, or physician observations

Parent observations are legitimate data under New Hampshire's IEP rules. Bring them in writing so they can be referenced and documented.

Know who will be in the room. An IDEA-compliant IEP meeting requires:

• You (the parent)
• At least one regular education teacher who works with the child
• At least one special education teacher or provider
• A representative of the school district who has authority to commit resources (not just the case manager)
• Someone who can interpret evaluation results (often the school psychologist, if an evaluation was completed)
• The student, if appropriate (and required for students 14 and older in New Hampshire)

If a required team member is absent without your written agreement to proceed anyway, note this in writing and consider rescheduling or objecting to any decisions made at the meeting.

Questions to Ask at the Meeting

On progress and goals:

• What data shows my child has or hasn't made progress on each goal?
• What was the collection method for this data, and how often was it collected?
• If goals were not met, why—and how is the team adjusting?
• Are the new proposed goals based on current assessment data, or were they carried over from last year?

On services:

• Was every service in last year's IEP delivered as specified (frequency, duration, location, provider)?
• If any services were missed, what is the plan to address the service gap?
• What are the credentials of the providers assigned to deliver each service?
• For related services: Is this being provided by the district directly or contracted out? Is any of it via teletherapy?

On placement:

• Has placement been determined before this meeting (if so, that's a procedural concern)?
• What evidence shows the current setting is the Least Restrictive Environment where FAPE can be provided?

On the proposed IEP:

• Can I review the proposed goals and services before signing?
• If I disagree with any part of the IEP, what happens?

On resources:

• Who is the decision-maker in this room for approving services or placements that cost money? (Building principals often don't have this authority—you may need to ensure the SAU's Special Education Director or their designee is present.)

During the Meeting: What to Document

Bring a notebook. Write down:

• Who attended (name and role)
• What proposals were made
• What data was referenced
• What you agreed to and what you objected to
• Any commitments made verbally ("We'll have the SLP resume sessions next week")

You can request to audio record the meeting. New Hampshire is a two-party consent state for recordings—you must notify the school before you record, and the school can also record. Do not record without notifying the school in advance; this could be used against you.

What You Are Not Required to Sign On the Spot

You are never required to sign the IEP at the meeting. You can take it home, review it, consult an outside professional, and return your signed consent (or partial consent) within a reasonable timeframe.

You can consent to some parts of the IEP and reject others. For example, you might consent to placement and most services but reject a goal you believe is not measurable or appropriate.

If you do not consent to the initial IEP placement, the district cannot implement it. If you do not consent to changes proposed at an annual review, the district must generally maintain the prior IEP (the "stay put" provision) while the dispute is resolved.

After the Meeting: What to Do Within 48 Hours

Send a follow-up email. Summarize what was discussed, agreed to, and left unresolved. Include:

• Services agreed to and their start dates
• Any action items you or the district committed to
• Concerns you raised that were not addressed
• Any verbal commitments from district staff

"I'm writing to confirm my understanding of today's meeting" is less confrontational than "I'm sending this as evidence"—and equally effective at creating a written record.

Review the written IEP once you receive it. Compare it carefully against your notes. Errors and omissions in the written document are common. If the document doesn't reflect what you agreed to, notify the case manager in writing.

Set reminders for progress reporting dates. New Hampshire requires the district to report progress on IEP goals at least as often as report cards are issued for general education students. If you don't receive progress reports on schedule, put a written request to the case manager.

The New Hampshire IEP & 504 Blueprint includes a complete printable meeting preparation checklist, a goal evaluation framework, and post-meeting follow-up templates designed for New Hampshire's Ed 1100 procedural requirements.

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