The Law Office of Matthew Storey, APC

08/27/2026

You don’t have to sign your child’s IEP the day of the meeting. 🖊️

IEP meetings can be a lot — new information, a room full of professionals, and pressure to decide on the spot. You have options.

📄 Take the IEP home after the meeting before signing
✍️ Highlight anything you don’t fully understand
📧 Email the team with your questions or concerns
✅ Sign only once you’re confident in what the document says and how it will be implemented

Parents have the right to review the IEP document outside the meeting before consenting to it. Taking that time doesn’t delay services you’ve already agreed to — it protects you from agreeing to something you don’t fully understand.

Save this for your next IEP meeting, and share it with a parent who needs to hear it. 🔖

08/26/2026

🩺 “My child has a medical diagnosis, so they’re automatically entitled to an IEP... right?”

Not quite. This is one of the most common misunderstandings we see from parents and advocates. 👇

✅ A medical diagnosis alone does NOT automatically qualify a child for an IEP
✅ What it DOES trigger is the district’s obligation to assess the student for special education
✅ The district then determines whether the student meets eligibility standards — and those standards are different from a medical diagnosis

⚠️ Important: A student can have a medical diagnosis like ADHD or Autism and still not qualify for an IEP, because the educational eligibility standards look at something different than a medical diagnosis alone.

If your child has a diagnosis, request an assessment; don’t assume the IEP follows automatically. If you have questions about a denial, give us a call ☎️

08/20/2026

🚩 2 signs your child’s IEP might not be working

If you’ve been in more than one IEP meeting, pull up last year’s document and this year’s document side by side. Here’s what to look for 👇

✅ Present levels stay basically the same year after year
✅ Goals repeat — same wording, same targets, little to no progress

If you’re seeing either of these, something’s wrong. An IEP that’s working should show movement — present levels reflecting new data and skills, and goals building on what’s already been mastered.

📌 Present levels of performance (PLOPs) must be updated based on current data at each IEP, and goals should reflect meaningful progress — not be copy/pasted forward. Stagnant present levels and repeating goals can be evidence the program isn’t providing FAPE.

08/19/2026

🌟 Join us for our Back to School Session of The Fundamentals of Special Education Online Class🌟

📅 Date: 8/31/2026
🕒 Time: 6:00 PM
💻 Via Zoom

Back to School is the perfect time to learn/review the basics of special education. We will cover everything from special education eligibility, assessments, placement, advocacy, services, and IEP meetings. Our goal is to make the special education process understandable and help you become a better advocate for your child.💪✨

🔗 Register and share with others who might benefit!

Registration link in our Bio!

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4ZnS4aGNQOKnKS385Yxv4Q

08/18/2026

🚨 “But my child only qualifies under Speech... so that’s all they can get, right?”

WRONG. This is one of the most common (and harmful) myths in special education. 👇

✅ Eligibility category ≠ services
✅ Courts are clear: what matters is what your child needs — not what box they’re checked into
✅ A child eligible under “Speech and Language Impairment” can absolutely receive OT, counseling, specialized academic instruction, or any other service — if the data shows they need it

📌 CA: The IEP team must determine services based on the student’s unique needs as identified through assessment — not limited by eligibility label. Don’t let a category be used to gatekeep support your child qualifies for.

💾 Save this for your next IEP meeting
📤 Share with a parent who’s been told “that’s not part of their eligibility”

08/17/2026

Download our FREE IEP Pocketbook!

An easy to understand resource and guide to understanding your rights as a parent.

We are also happy to send hard copies.

We developed our free IEP Pocketbook as a resource you can use to access the information you need to effectively advocate for your child’s rights.

08/17/2026

How do you know if a private school is worth it? Here is a great article by ProPublica diving into the private school landscape.

It can be really hard to get transparent, comprehensive information about private schools. Our investigative reporters share some suggestions for parents and guardians who want to collect it themselves.

08/14/2026

New school year, same IEP energy 🍎📚

Back-to-school season is chaotic enough without wondering if your kid’s IEP is actually being followed. A few easy things to keep in your back pocket:

📄 Skim the IEP — Not for a deep read, just a quick refresh so you know what’s supposed to be happening.

🏫 Eyeball the placement — Does the classroom, program, and provider match what’s written? If something feels off, trust that instinct.

📅 Jot down your review dates — Annual and triennial timelines.

✉️ Treat day one like it matters — Services start when school starts, not once everyone’s “settled in.” A quick, friendly note to the case manager confirming that expectation goes a long way — and it starts the year on the right foot.

📝 Keep a simple log — Doesn’t need to be fancy. Just jot down calls, emails, and meetings as you go.

08/12/2026

They didn’t say “yes.” They didn’t say “no.” They said “we’ll consider it” 👀

Getting an IEE approved feels like a win. But here’s the plot twist parents need to know 👇

📝 “Consider” ≠ “Comply”
The district doesn’t have to adopt your IEE’s recommendations or drop them into the IEP word-for-word.

⚖️ But They CAN’T Ignore It Either
Federal law requires the district to genuinely consider the IEE results — not just file it in a drawer.

🔍 What “Consideration” Actually Looks Like
The IEE should be discussed at an IEP meeting, with input from the evaluator when possible, and the team’s reasoning documented if they disagree with it.

🚩 Red Flag
If the district rubber-stamps “we considered it” with zero discussion and zero explanation, that’s not real consideration — that’s a paper trail for due process.

💾 Save this so you know the difference between “considered” and “ignored.”

💬 Did your district actually discuss your IEE, or just say they “reviewed” it? Give us a call if you feel like the team did not consider it 📞

08/06/2026

🚨 “We’re a charter school, we don’t have to provide those special education services.” — FALSE.
I hear this from parents constantly, and it needs to stop. Here’s the truth:

📋 Charter schools ARE public schools. Whether stand-alone or part of a charter management organization, they are public schools.

⚖️ They must comply with IDEA. Charter schools are required to identify, assess, and serve students with disabilities — including providing FAPE, just like any traditional public school.

🚫 They cannot turn away or push out a child based on disability. A charter cannot deny enrollment, encourage a parent to “choose differently,” or fail to implement an IEP because special education is “too hard” to provide.