Firsthand Knowledge of Student

Must someone with firsthand knowledge of my child always be present at an IEP meeting?

No. In one case, the parents were available but refused to attend the IEP meeting scheduled by the district. No one at the meeting had any firsthand knowledge of the student. The 9th Circuit held that the school district’s failure to include someone with firsthand knowledge of the student on the IEP team was not a procedural violation because the parents were available but refused to attend the IEP meeting. This means that if a parent chooses not to attend an IEP meeting, the district does not have to ensure that someone else with firsthand knowledge of the child is present.

M.L. v. Federal Way Sch. Dist., 394 F. 3d 634 (9th Cir. 2003)