Sample Letters For Parents - Special Education Letter Templates Page 6
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Appendix A: Sample Letters for Parents
3. Requesting an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at Public Expense
The IDEA gives you the right to have your child evaluated independently. This means
you have the right to have your child evaluated by someone other than staff who work
for the school system. The purpose of the evaluation is to see if your child has a disability
and, if so, what his or her special needs are. In some cases, you may pay for an Indepen-
dent Educational Evaluation (IEE). In other cases, the school system may pay for it. If the
school system pays for the IEE or sees that the IEE is done at no cost to you, this is known
as an IEE at public expense.
Why would I want to request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at Public
Expense?
Sometimes a family may feel that the results of the school’s evaluation do not accurately
describe their child. Some parents may want additional academic tests or medical exams.
Or they may be interested in having evaluations done in skill areas the school staff did
not test. Parents can choose to have their child tested outside the school system, for these
or other reasons.
However, if you want the school to pay for an Independent Educational Evaluation, you
will need to make your request BEFORE any independent testing is done. Some reasons
you may want to request an independent evaluation include:
• You believe the original evaluation was incorrect.
• The original evaluation was not done in your child’s native language.
• You believe that the original evaluation was incomplete and additional tests are need-
ed.
• The evaluation was not done with the needed accommodations (for example, in Braille
or administered by someone who knows sign language).
The school system may agree to your request and pay for the IEE. On the other hand, the
school system may deny your request and ask for a due process hearing to show that its
own evaluation was appropriate. You will have the chance at this hearing to state your
reasons why the school system should be required to pay for the IEE. An impartial third
person (called a hearing officer) listens to and reviews the evidence. This individual then
decides if the school system must pay for an independent evaluation. If the hearing offi-
cer decides in favor of the school system, you may still obtain an independent evaluation,
but you must pay for it. The results of the IEE must be considered by the school in any
decision made regarding your child’s free appropriate public education.
Educational Rights and Responsibilities: Understanding Special Education in Illinois
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