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The School Meeting Ready Kit

Calm · Confident · Organized

Everything you need for one school meeting, in one place: the questions to ask, what to do the weeks before, what to bring, a page to take notes on, and the emails to send after. Works for an IEP, a 504, an evaluation request, a behavior meeting, or a parent-teacher conference.

1. Ten questions

What to say in the room

2. Countdown checklist

The weeks before

3. What to bring

Your folder, packed

4. Meeting note page

Write it down as it happens

5. Email templates

Copy, fill in, send

6. Words to know

So nothing sounds foreign

Section 1

Ten questions to ask

Ask them in order, or pick the three that fit your day.

1. What data are you basing that on, and may I have a copy?
Turns an opinion in the room into a document in your binder.
2. Where is that written in the plan?
Separates what is promised from what is being described.
3. Who is responsible for delivering this, and how often?
A service with no name and no schedule attached rarely happens.
4. How will we know it is working, and when will we look again?
Sets a review date while everyone is still in the room.
5. What happens if the data does not improve by then?
Gets the next step agreed before it becomes a disagreement.
6. Has this accommodation actually been used? How do you know?
Written accommodations and delivered accommodations are different things.
7. What options were considered and not chosen, and why?
Required thinking in most processes, and it surfaces what is available.
8. Can you send me that in writing after the meeting?
Everything important should exist as text you can re-read at home.
9. What is the timeline, in school days, and what is the deadline date?
Turns a vague soon into a date you can track.
10. If I disagree, what is the process, and who do I contact?
Asked calmly and early, it is a normal question — not a threat.

Section 2

The countdown checklist

Small steps, spread out, so the week of the meeting stays quiet.

Two weeks before

Ask in writing for the draft plan, evaluation, or report you will be discussing.
Ask who will be attending and in what role.
Write down the one outcome you want to leave with.

One week before

Re-read the current plan and highlight anything that is not happening.
Pull three recent examples: a work sample, an email, a note from home.
List your top three concerns in the order you want them heard.

The night before

Print or open this kit and your notes so nothing has to be remembered.
Decide who is taking notes if someone is coming with you.
Write your opening line: "Thanks for meeting. I'd like to cover three things."

Section 3

What to bring

Tick each one the night before and the folder is done.

Current IEP, 504 plan, or service plan
Most recent evaluation or progress report
Report cards and any state testing results
Work samples that show the concern
Emails between you and the school
Outside evaluations, doctor or therapist letters
Behavior notes, incident reports, suspension letters
Attendance record, if it is part of the story
Your three concerns and one desired outcome
Paper and pen, or this kit's note page

A hand writing meeting notes on a printed page next to a phone

Fill it in on paper, or keep it open on your phone and type as you go. Either way, nothing has to live in your memory.

Section 4

Meeting note page

Write what was promised while everyone is still in the room.

Child

Date

Meeting type

Who was in the room

What was promised — who, what, how often, starting when

Questions I still need answered / next review date

Section 5

Emails you can copy and send

Short, factual, warm. You are building a record, not an argument.

After the meeting — recap email (send within 24 hours)

Hi [Name],

Thank you for meeting today about [Child]. So I have it recorded correctly, here is my understanding of what we agreed:

1. [Service / accommodation] will be provided by [person] [how often], beginning [date].
2. [Data or progress] will be collected and shared with me on [schedule].
3. We will meet again on [date] to review.

If any of that is different from your notes, will you please correct me in writing?

Thank you,
[Your name] — [phone]

Requesting an evaluation

Hi [Name],

I am formally requesting a full evaluation for my child, [Child, grade, teacher], in all areas of suspected disability. My concerns are: [concern 1], [concern 2], [concern 3].

Please send me the consent forms and let me know the date this request was received so we can track the timeline. I would like a copy of the evaluation report at least [3] days before the eligibility meeting.

Thank you,
[Your name] — [phone]

An accommodation is not happening

Hi [Name],

[Child]'s plan says [accommodation, and where it appears in the plan]. Based on [what you observed and when], it does not appear to be happening consistently.

Could you let me know how it is being delivered and how that is documented? If something needs to change to make it workable, I'd like to help solve it.

Thank you,
[Your name] — [phone]

Asking for a meeting

Hi [Name],

I would like to request a meeting about [Child]'s [IEP / 504 plan / progress]. I am available [two or three windows].

The items I would like on the agenda are: [item 1], [item 2]. If there are documents we will review, may I have them in advance?

Thank you,
[Your name] — [phone]

Section 6

Words to know

So nothing said at the table sounds like a foreign language.

IEP: A written special education plan with services, goals, and legally required timelines.
504 plan: Accommodations that give equal access; no specialized instruction required.
FAPE: The standard the school must meet: an appropriate education at no cost to you.
LRE: The expectation that your child is taught with peers as much as appropriate.
Prior written notice: The written explanation you get when the school proposes or refuses something.
Present levels: The section that describes where your child actually is right now.
Progress monitoring: How often the school measures a goal and reports it to you.
IEE: An outside evaluation you can request when you disagree with the school's.

School Meeting Ready is an organizational tool. It does not provide legal advice, and it is not a substitute for an attorney or advocate.

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