September 2024
Part C: Early Intervention/Early ACCESS Updates & Part B: Special Education Updates
Options for Resolving Disputes
AEA Mediation, the voluntary process of using an AEA staff member to help resolve issues, no longer exists as an option. Under the Processes for Resolving Disagreements section, all references to AEA Mediation were removed from the page for both Part C and Part B.
October 2024
Brief descriptions of procedural clarifications, additions, changes and new resources are described below, along with links to related pages within the i3 system.
Part C: Early Intervention/Early ACCESS Updates
Understanding Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs)
The Understanding IFSPs page was revised and edited to reflect current procedure around when a meeting will be held.
Periodic Reviews
In this section, the heading was changed from Periodic IFSPs to Periodic Reviews.
Prior to a Periodic Review
The following bullet has been added under “meeting will be held”:
- If an early intervention service may be ended/discontinued
Modifying IFSPs
Prior to an IFSP Modification
The following bullets has been added under “meeting will be held”
- If a transition planning meeting is needed (meeting must be held 90 days prior to the child’s third birthday).
- If an early intervention service may be ended/discontinued.
Initial IFSPs
A bullet about a transition plan being developed was added to the Initial IFSP section:
- If the child is reaching the age of 2 years 9 months, a transition plan will be developed to support a smooth and successful transition for the family and child.
At an Initial IFSP Meeting
During the initial IFSP meeting, a section about the development of the transition plan for children aged 2 years 9 months was added:
- Develop Transition Plan. For children reaching the age of 2 years 9 months, the team will develop a plan to support the transition from Early ACCESS services which will conclude when the child reaches the age of three. A plan is developed to represent all types of transition pathways. See Transition From Early ACCESS for information.
November 2024
Brief descriptions of procedural clarifications, additions, changes and new resources are described below, along with links to related pages within the i3 system.
Part B: Special Education Updates
Special Education Resources
Under the Guidelines/Memos on Policy Requirements:
- The link to the Administrative Consideration of Changes in Definition of Diploma document was updated. The guidance provides an overview and implications related to Iowa’s special education rule change regarding graduation for individuals eligible for special education.
Relevant Iowa Code:
Iowa Code section 256.7(26) – Duties of the State Board
Special Education Resources
Under the Guidelines/Memos on Policy Requirements:
- The Iowa Department of Education Guidance on 4+ Services link was updated to the current document.
January 2025
Brief descriptions of procedural clarifications, additions, changes and new resources are described below, along with links to related pages within the i3 system.
Part B: Special Education Updates
Understanding IEP Team Members
A new bullet was added in the notes section to cover a learner who is parentally placed in an accredited nonpublic school not located in the resident district.
- For eligible individuals, IDEA regulations require parental consent before personally identifiable information is released between a local district (LEA) and the Area Education Agency (AEA) where a child resides and an LEA/AEA in which an accredited nonpublic school where a child attends is located.
Understanding Special Education Records
Disclosures That Do Not Require Parent(s) or Eligible Student Consent
FERPA and IDEA describe a variety of circumstances when parent(s) consent is not required to transfer records or disclose personally identifiable information (PII). A third bullet was added:
- Any individual appointed by a juvenile court order to serve as guardian ad litem (“GAL”) for a child who is subject to the jurisdiction of the juvenile court.
Summer 2025
Brief descriptions of procedural clarifications, additions, changes and new resources are described below, along with links to related pages within the i3 system.
Part B: Special Education Updates
Open Enrollment Process
The deadlines for open enrollment have been restored, so the language that stated “law allows parents/guardians to apply for open enrollment at any time without the need for good cause” was deleted. The following sentences, “Note that open enrollment applies to all students in grades K-12. Additionally, open enrollment applies to preschool (PK) learners with an instructional IEP.” were also deleted.
Special Education Resources
The Special Education Services & Activities document was replaced with an updated version.
Part C: Early Intervention/Early ACCESS Updates
Understanding Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs)
Updates have been made to describe procedures related to gathering information about children’s present levels of development as part of ongoing assessments once an IFSP has been developed. Procedures for collecting new assessment information to determine if the IFSP needs to be modified were clarified.