The PEI Attachment:

Don't Go to Your IEP Without One!

Has this ever happened to you? You've just left an IEP meeting where many issues and action items were discussed, but you're not sure who's carrying the ball on them. In fact, you realize that you've been making the same request (this can be true for parents & professionals alike!) or bringing up the same issue repeatedly and there seems to be no progress underway from one meeting to the next. That's where the PEI Attachment comes in--it's a mechanism to document conversations, outcomes, and next steps. It can provide a momentum towards resolution of long-standing, unresolved issues.

PEI (that's IEP spelled backwards!) stands for Hands & Voices' "Parents' Education Initiative", a series of advocacy tools and resources. The PEI Attachment is one of these tools, and it is based on the 'Prior Notice' section of the Individual's With Disabilities Education Act (300.503.2.(b) 1.2.3 where it specifies that suggestions put on the table must be accepted or rejected, and the IEP team must list the reasons for accepting or rejecting the proposal. It further requires that there must be an indication of all options considered or rejected by the LEA (Lead Education Agency) and an explanation of why it a particular decision was made.

Theoretically, this process should have a written record, but often it doesn't happen that way and people often leave an IEP meeting with a different understanding of what went on there. If you're not getting a clear answer, if something that was supposed to happen didn't, if the issues and outcomes need clarification, or if you want to make a formal record of your proceedings (especially if due process is a possibility), we highly recommend you bring the PEI attachment to your next meeting. And be sure to formally request that the PEI Attachment be a recognized amendment or attachment to the IEP. That could be done as a formal proposal on the PEI form itself. If there is resistance to the idea of attaching the form, be sure to get an explanation and record it. No level of resistance or hesitation around accepting the PEI Attachment is based on legal grounds, and in fact, this form is a means of putting the strength of law to work for you. Read anything you record on the form back to the IEP team and administrators, if any, present, to be sure it reflects everyone's understanding of the situation. Ask them to intial it to signify their acknowledgement. It can be extremely motivating to know that a written record is being kept, and that can keep all parties on the straight and narrow.

Click on the the link below to go to a printable page with the pei form. To get back to this page just use your browsers "back" button. If you have problems e-mail us and we will mail you a copy.

The PEI form