Can the school system hold an IEP meeting without the parent?

Yes. If the school district cannot convince a parent to attend the IEP meeting, the meeting may be conducted without the parent. Parent participation is so crucial that the school district must have a record of their attempts to arrange a mutually agreed on time and place for the meeting, such as:

(1) Detailed records of telephone calls made or attempted and the results of those calls;

(2) Copies of correspondence sent to the parents and responses received; and

(3) Detailed records of visits made to the parents’ home or place of employment and the results of those visits.

[34 C.F.R. Sec. 300.345(d).]

The meeting must be scheduled a mutually agreed upon time and place. The school system cannot hold the IEP meeting without parents if they want to attend the meeting. Reschedule the meeting so that the parents can attend.

Also, parents can invite whom they please to IEP meetings, but only the custodial parent or guardian can sign the IEP. If one is not available, then a surrogate parent should be sought to fill that purpose. A friend or non-custodial parent may not serve in lieu of the parent. They may attend at the parents’ request, but they cannot fulfill the parents’ role.