How to Write a Parent Concerns Statement for an Ohio IEP

One of the most underused tools in the Ohio IEP process is also one of the most legally significant: the parent concerns statement. Parents are often told to share concerns verbally at the meeting. What they are rarely told is that their concerns must be formally documented in the IEP document itself — and that a written parent concerns statement, submitted before the meeting, is far more powerful than anything said out loud.

Here is what the parent concerns section is, why it matters, and how to write one that actually gets incorporated into your child's IEP.

What Ohio Law Requires

Under OAC 3301-51-07, the IEP for every Ohio student with a disability must include a statement of the concerns of the parents for enhancing the education of their child. This is not optional. It is a federally required component of the IEP under IDEA 34 CFR §300.320(a)(1)(ii) and must appear in the Present Levels section of the document.

What this means in practice: if the district produces an IEP that does not include a documented parent concerns statement, the IEP is procedurally deficient. You are not obligated to accept an IEP that omits this required component.

More importantly, a parent concerns statement that is documented creates a record. If the concerns you raised in writing — "my child is not receiving speech services as scheduled" or "my child tells me she is excluded from lunch recess as a consequence for missing work" — appear in the IEP document, those concerns become part of the permanent educational record. They are substantially harder to ignore than concerns raised verbally and "noted."

What to Include in Your Statement

Your parent concerns statement does not need to be lengthy. It does need to be specific, written in the first person, and focused on your child's educational needs — not on your frustration with the school (save that for elsewhere).

Effective parent concerns statements address several categories:

Observations at home that are relevant to school performance. What do you see when your child does homework, reads, or discusses their school day? "She spends three hours on homework that should take 45 minutes because she cannot decode the reading independently." "He has daily stomachaches Sunday evenings that I believe are related to school anxiety."

Discrepancies between the school's account and your child's experience. "The IEP reports that [child] is making adequate progress in reading. At home, she cannot read her grade-level chapter books without significant support." This invites the team to reconcile the data with your direct observation.

Specific services or accommodations you believe are missing or inadequate. "I am concerned that the extended time accommodation in the current plan is not being implemented during classroom quizzes, based on what my child has reported." "I have not received progress reports for Goal 2 in the past two quarters and am concerned this goal is not being actively addressed."

Questions about placement or program. "I have concerns about whether my child's current placement in the resource room for 60 minutes daily is sufficient given his reading level." "I believe my daughter would benefit from inclusion in the general education math class with appropriate supports."

Concerns about the evaluation or eligibility determination. If this is an initial IEP following an ETR, you can note: "I disagree with the team's conclusion that [child]'s challenges in written expression do not rise to the level of a specific learning disability. I intend to request an Independent Educational Evaluation."

How to Submit It So It Gets Documented

Write your parent concerns statement before the meeting and send it in writing to the special education coordinator and the IEP team lead at least a few days before the scheduled meeting. Email works fine — it timestamps your submission.

In your email, state: "I am submitting the attached parent concerns statement in advance of the IEP meeting scheduled for [date]. I am requesting that this statement be included verbatim in the IEP document, as required under IDEA and OAC 3301-51-07."

When you arrive at the meeting, ask the team to confirm that your written statement has been included in the IEP document before anyone moves on to other sections. Ask to see the exact language that was incorporated.

If the team paraphrases or condenses your concerns — "parent is concerned about reading progress" instead of your full statement — push back. Your written statement should appear as submitted, not filtered through someone else's summary.

What to Do If the Team Resists

Some teams will acknowledge your concerns verbally and then produce an IEP that contains only a brief, sanitized summary. Others may omit parent concerns entirely and rely on meeting notes as a substitute. Neither approach satisfies the legal requirement.

If the final IEP document does not contain your concerns statement as a required element, note it in writing before signing: "I am signing this IEP to acknowledge attendance only. I am not consenting to the IEP as written because the required parent concerns statement required by IDEA and OAC 3301-51-07 has not been included in the document."

A failure to include the parent concerns statement is a procedural violation. If it's part of a broader pattern of the district failing to incorporate required components, that pattern can support a state complaint to ODEW's Office for Exceptional Children.

A Sample Parent Concerns Statement

Here is a working template you can adapt:

"As the parent of [Child's Name], I am submitting the following concerns for inclusion in [his/her/their] Individualized Education Program as required under IDEA and Ohio's Operating Standards.

My primary concern is that [Child's Name] continues to struggle significantly with reading decoding. At home, [he/she] cannot independently read [grade level] materials and requires significant adult support for nightly homework, often spending [X] hours on tasks that peers complete in [X] minutes. Despite receiving Tier 2 reading intervention for [time period], I have not observed improvement in [his/her] oral reading fluency at home.

I am also concerned that progress reports for annual goals have not been sent home consistently. I have received reports for Goal 1 but have not received data for Goals 2 or 3 since [date].

Finally, I would like the team to address whether [Child's Name]'s current level of services is adequate to close the gap between [his/her] current performance and grade-level expectations, as required under the Endrew F. standard.

I am requesting that these concerns be documented verbatim in the IEP and addressed by the team during today's meeting."

The Ohio IEP & 504 Blueprint includes additional templates for parent concerns statements across different situations — initial IEPs, annual reviews, evaluations you're disputing, and meetings where you've already been told no and need to reset the paper trail.

Why This Matters Beyond the Meeting Room

Your parent concerns statement becomes part of your child's permanent educational record. If you ever need to escalate to mediation, a state complaint, or a due process hearing, the documented history of concerns you raised — and whether the district responded to them — becomes central evidence.

A written concerns statement that the team incorporated into the IEP shows you raised a specific issue. If the next IEP shows no progress on that issue and no documented response, the district has to explain why. That is the kind of accountability that verbal comments at a meeting can never create.

Don't underestimate this section. Fill it out, submit it in writing, and make sure it appears in the final document.

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