Jul 8, 2008
The parents’ right to obtain an independent educational evaluation (IEE) of their child is an important IDEA procedural safeguard. School districts conduct evaluations to provide information to the student’s IEP team to determine whether a student has a disability and, if so, the services the student will need. Thus, a student’s school program is largely based on the results of evaluations. An inaccurate or incomplete evaluation may lead to inappropriate services.
So, there are times when parents might be concerned that the school’s evaluations do not accurately reflect their child’s disability or educational needs. And, there are times when parents would just like a second opinion. An IEE means an evaluation conducted by a qualified examiner who is not employed by the public agency responsible for educating the child. Thus, obtaining an Independent Educational Evaluation allows parents access to an evaluation conducted by someone outside of the school district and to provide that information to their child’s IEP team.
Independent Educational Evaluations at Parent Expense
Parents have the right to obtain an IEE at their own expense and share it with the school district. If parents request an IEE, school districts are required to provide the parents with information about where they may obtain an independent evaluation. Moreover, if parents share their privately purchased evaluation with the school district, the IEP team must consider the results of the evaluation. Considering the IEE, however, does not mean the IEP team must agree with it. If the IEP team disagrees with all or part of the IEE, the team should document why it did not accept the findings and recommendations of the independent educational evaluation.
Additionally, if the parents share their privately purchased evaluation with the school district and there is a hearing regarding the child’s program, the IEE may be presented by the parents or the school district as evidence at the hearing.
Independent Educational Evaluations at Public Expense
If parents disagree with the evaluations done by the school district, the parents have the right to request an IEE to be paid at public expense. If parents request an IEE at public expense, the school district must either (1) provide the IEE or (2) request a hearing to show that the school district’s evaluation was appropriate. Thus, if the district does not wish to pay the costs of the independent evaluation, the school district must request a hearing to show that the district’s evaluation is appropriate.
If parents obtain an evaluation at public expense, the district must consider the results of the evaluation in making educational decisions about the child. Again, the fact that the district must consider the evaluation does not mean that it must agree with its findings and recommendations. Finally, if there is a hearing regarding the child’s program, the publicly funded IEE may be presented as evidence by the parents or the school district at the hearing.
What Does Public Expense Mean?
At public expense means that the school district pays for the full cost of the IEE or ensures that the evaluation is provided at no cost to the parent. According to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in Letter to Heldman 20 IDELR 621(OSEP 1993), in a case in which an overnight trip was necessary to obtain the IEE, public expense may include covering the parents’ related travel costs, including reasonable meal and lodging expenses. Parents are not entitled to unlimited evaluations at public expense. The IDEA 2004 clarified that parents are limited to only one IEE each time the school district conducts an evaluation with which the parent disagrees.
May the Independent Evaluator Observe the Student in the Current Placement?
Under the IDEA regulations at 34 CFR 300.502 (e), if the IEE is at public expense, “the criteria under which the evaluation is obtained, including the location of the evaluation and the qualifications of the examiner, must be the same as the criteria which the public agency uses when it initiates its evaluation.” According to OSEP in Letter to Wessels 16 IDELR 735 (OSEP 1990), this means if the school district (public agency) observed the student as part of its evaluation, or if the district’s “assessment procedures make it permissible to have in-class observation of the child, the independent evaluator has the right to do so.”
What if the district’s procedures do not allow in-class observation? In that case, if the parent believes that in-class observation is necessary to assess the child, the parent can request a hearing to challenge the district’s evaluation because it did not include in-class observation.
Conclusion
It has been my experience, that sometimes school districts will purchase independent evaluations to obtain additional information on a child’s educational needs. The IEP team wants to serve the child and may welcome an independent assessment to help design a program to meet the child’s needs. Additionally, an independent evaluation can sometimes be useful to help resolve disagreements between a child’s parents and school personnel. The opinion of an independent person, with “no axe to grind,” may help the parents and the school resolve a disagreement and avoid the need to resort to lengthier dispute resolution procedures. An independent evaluation may be a very helpful tool for an IEP team to identify the needs of a student with a disability.
