A new school year is the best window you get to reset supports. Here is the exact sequence we walk parents through in the first two weeks.
As we prepare for a new school year, now is the perfect time to review your child's IEP or 504 plan and make sure you feel ready for a successful start. Being informed and prepared builds a strong partnership with the school team before the first problem shows up — not after.
1. The document refresh
Locate your child's most recent signed IEP or 504 plan, along with the final progress report from the end of last year. Read every accommodation, goal, and modification so it is fresh in your mind on day one.
2. The summer snapshot and email outreach
Draft a one-page "summer snapshot" covering progress, skill regression, medical updates, and new concerns from over the break. Email it to the general education teacher, special education teacher, and case manager during week one.
3. The accommodation check-in script
Send a short, friendly note that opens the line of communication and confirms supports are actually running:
"Hi [Teacher], excited for the school year! I'm checking in to confirm [Child's name] has access to [preferential seating / oral reading accommodations] starting this week."
4. Medical, related services, and transportation sync
Confirm specialized transportation, nursing care plans, speech/OT/PT schedules, and emergency medical protocols are synchronized with administration and providers before the opening bell.
5. Assistive technology and material readiness
Verify that every device in the plan — AAC devices, Chromebooks with speech-to-text, sensory tools, FM systems — is operational, charged, and assigned to your child on day one.
6. ESY and summer progress data
If your child attended Extended School Year or private summer therapy, collect the data and hand it to the case manager so the progress carries into the new classroom instead of restarting from zero.
7. Classroom environment and sensory audit
Review environmental accommodations — seating proximity, quiet zones, noise-canceling headphones — and report anything that no longer fits your child to the case manager right away.
Put it in writing
Everything above works best on paper. Download the free Back to School IEP & 504 Checklist and work through it one item at a time.