Signing Consent to an IEP
You have now finished developing your child’s IEP and the school presents you with its proposed IEP to sign. Unfortunately, most schools do not inform parents of their options when it comes to signing the IEP and do not explain what those options mean.
Why is the school asking me to sign the IEP?
Parental consent is one of the fundamental procedural safeguards available to a child with a disability. In Virginia, the school may only implement an IEP if the parent first provides consent to do so. This applies whether it is your child’s initial IEP, an IEP addendum or amendment, or the annual IEP.
When should I sign the IEP?
The school division is required to provide the parent with its proposed IEP within ten calendar days following the IEP meeting. There is no deadline in Virginia by which a parent must provide (or deny) consent to implementing the school’s proposed IEP. Absent extenuating circumstances, you should not provide consent to the proposed IEP at the conclusion of the IEP meeting
It is important that you take sufficient time to carefully review the school’s proposed IEP and to consider whether it provides your child with a free appropriate public education (a “FAPE”). Sufficient time could be two days, two weeks, or longer if appropriate. Do not sign until you are comfortable doing so. Your child’s existing IEP will continue to remain in place during this time. If this is your child’s initial IEP, please understand that the school will not provide any special education services or supports until you provide full or partial consent.
What signing options do I have?
A parent has four signing options with the school division’s proposed IEP:
- Full Consent
- Deny Consent
- Partial Consent
- Do Not Sign
What if my school asks me to sign that I “agree” with the IEP’s contents?
A school may only implement the IEP if the parent consents to its implementation. VDOE guidance explains that “the meaning of the term ‘consent’ is not the same as the meaning of the term ‘agree’ or ‘agreement.’”
A parent does not need to agree with the IEP. There are many reasons why a parent may disagree with the school’s proposed IEP yet still provide consent to implement it (either in full or in part). Signing that you “agree with the contents” of the IEP presents potential problems in the future if you later bring a denial of FAPE claim. Courts in Virginia rule that a parent waives the ability to challenge an IEP’s appropriateness if he/she signed that he/she agreed with the IEP.
If your child’s IEP asks you to sign that you “agree with the contents of this IEP,” you may simply cross out those words and hand write “I give consent to implement this IEP” (or partially consent to implementing it, if applicable).
What does it mean to provide full consent?
The school division is required to implement all provisions in the IEP upon receiving the parent’s consent to implementation.
What happens if I deny consent?
If the student has an existing IEP in effect, the school must continue to implement that IEP regardless of its “end” date.
If it is the student’s initial IEP, the school division is not required to provide the student with any special education services or supports until the parent provides full or partial consent to the proposed IEP.
What happens if I sign in partial consent?
The school division implements a partial consent on a “piecemeal” basis that depends upon the specific circumstances. Like with full consent, the school division must implement all parts of the IEP with which the parent has clearly agreed so that there is no disruption in the delivery of a FAPE. If a parent does not give consent to modify or delete a provision from the student’s last consented-to (or “stay put”) IEP, then the school must continue to implement those provisions of the stay-put IEP. If the parent gives consent to implement the IEP team’s newly proposed goals, services, accommodations, placement, ESY, etc., then the school must implement these provisions of the proposed IEP to which the parent provided consent.
The school division is not required to implement the parents’ partial consent if it is not reasonably possible to do so. For example, a school likely could not implement an initial IEP if the parent consented to implementing the proposed goals and accommodations and denied consent to the proposed services and placement.
The school division must document the actions it will take to resolve items in the IEP to which the parent denied consent. Thus, the school often will request an IEP addendum meeting to discuss the parent’s concerns identified in the partial consent statement.
Can I really just not sign the IEP?
Yes, although this usually is not a good idea.
A parent is not required to sign the IEP. If the student has an existing IEP in effect, the school must continue to implement that IEP regardless of its “end” date. If, however, it is the student’s initial IEP, the school division is not required to provide the student with any special education services or supports until such time that the parent provides consent to implementation.
Last Updated: July 6, 2026
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