Charter SELPA — Signature and Parent Consent Field Guide

IEP Meeting Participants

Document all team members who participated in this IEP meeting. Signatures confirm attendance — not necessarily agreement with the IEP.

Required team members (IDEA 34 CFR 300.321):
• Parent/Guardian/Surrogate — At least one parent or legal guardian must be given the opportunity to attend. Document all attempts to include the parent if they could not attend.
• LEA Representative/Admin Designee — Must have authority to commit district resources and supervise or provide services. Cannot be the same person as the Ed Specialist without proper designation.
• Special Education Specialist — Must know the student's curriculum and disability
• General Education Teacher — Required if the student is or may be in general ed
• Student/Adult Student — Required for transition IEPs; strongly encouraged for all

⚠ If a required member is excused, written parent consent is required BEFORE the meeting AND the excused member must submit written input in advance. Document excusals carefully — they are a common audit finding.

Consent — Parent Options

Check all that apply to the parent's consent decision:

☑ I agree to all parts of the IEP — Parent consents to the full IEP as written. Services can begin.

☐ I agree with the IEP, with the exception of — Parent consents to most of the IEP but objects to specific parts. ⚠ Document exactly which parts are excepted. The district must determine whether it can implement the agreed portions and issue a PWN regarding the excepted parts.

☐ I decline the offer of initiation of special education services — Parent refuses initial services. Document in writing and issue a PWN. The district is not required to pursue services against the parent's wishes, but must document the offer was made and the parent declined.

☐ I understand that my child is not eligible / no longer eligible — Informs the parent of the eligibility determination. A PWN must be provided.

Signature below is to authorize and approve the IEP. The signature date is the consent date — this starts any implementation timelines.

Parent Signature — Consent & Approval

The parent signature on this form authorizes the IEP to be implemented.

Key legal points:
• Consent is voluntary — A parent may withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawal stops future services but does not require the district to undo services already provided.
• Consent must be informed — The parent must understand what they are consenting to. If there are language barriers, an interpreter must be used and documented.
• Two signature lines — Used when both parents share educational decision-making rights and both must consent, or for parent + adult student situations.

☐ Parent / Guardian / Surrogate / Adult Student — Check the appropriate box to indicate the legal relationship of the signatory.

⚠ If a parent refuses to sign, the district must document the refusal, issue a PWN, and may not implement the IEP. For annual reviews, the district may implement the IEP after providing reasonable notice if the parent does not respond.

Parent Involvement

"As a means of improving services and results for your child, did the school facilitate parent involvement?"

This is a federal IDEA reporting requirement tied to State Performance Plan (SPP) Indicator 8 — Parent Involvement.

☑ Yes — The school actively facilitated parent participation in the IEP process. Check Yes when the school:
• Provided advance notice of the meeting in the parent's native language
• Scheduled at a mutually agreeable time and location
• Provided an interpreter if needed
• Made good-faith efforts to ensure the parent understood the IEP content

☐ No — The school did not adequately facilitate involvement. Document what barriers existed and what steps should be taken at the next IEP.

☐ No Response — Parent did not respond despite documented outreach efforts.

⚠ California reports this data to the federal government annually. Charter SELPAs must maintain records demonstrating parent involvement facilitation.

Medi-Cal Authorization

This is a separate, voluntary authorization for billing Medi-Cal for applicable IEP services.

Key points:
• Completely voluntary — Signing or refusing does NOT affect the student's IEP services in any way. Make this clear before presenting the form.
• Can be revoked at any time — Parent may withdraw this consent in writing at any time. Revocation stops future billing but does not require repayment.
• Applies only to covered services — Not all IEP services are Medi-Cal reimbursable. Common covered services include SLP, OT, PT, nursing, mental health services.

⚠ Staff must explain this to parents before requesting the signature. Districts cannot condition IEP services on Medi-Cal consent.

The district uses this authorization for the limited purpose of billing Medi-Cal/Medicaid to access health insurance benefits for eligible services — reducing costs to the district, not the family.

Documents Provided to Parent

Document all materials provided to the parent at or following this IEP meeting:

☐ Procedural Safeguards — Must be provided once per year, and also upon: initial referral, first state complaint or due process in a year, re-evaluation request, or parent request. ⚠ Failure to provide is a procedural violation.

☐ Assessment Report (if applicable) — Must be provided before or at the IEP meeting where eligibility is discussed. Parent must have adequate time to review before the meeting.

☐ Copy of the IEP — A copy of the completed IEP must be provided to the parent at no cost, within a reasonable time after the meeting.

☐ Medi-Cal notification of protections — Required when the LEA requests Medi-Cal access.

☐ Private school / Individual Service Plan — Check if the student is parentally placed in private school — a different set of rights apply under the ISP process, not the standard IEP process.

Supporting Resources