P&V Perspective: Fall IEP Meetings
Don’t Table ESY Discussion Until Spring
As the school year gets underway, fall annual IEP meetings begin to take place. During those fall IEP meetings, extended school year (“ESY”) discussions can sometimes be deferred to later in the year with the expectation that the IEP team will revisit the ESY discussion. Deferring this discussion, increases an otherwise avoidable risk of failing to have the ESY discussion.
When annual IEP meetings occur in the fall, IEP teams should be cautious about postponing the ESY discussion simply because spring feels more practical. However, ESY is intended for students who may regress during school breaks and who may not reasonably recoup those lost skills within an appropriate period of time. In considering ESY, IEP teams often review available data from prior breaks, including summer, winter break, and other school recesses, as well as current performance information, service data, and staff input. From this, the IEP team often already has sufficient information to have a meaningful discussion regarding ESY, even in fall. Therefore, if the available information permits meaningful consideration, the IEP team should address ESY at the annual meeting regardless of the time of year, as deferring the issue can create timing problems later in the school year and may leave insufficient time for thoughtful review and planning.
Written By: Colleen Villarreal | Aug. 20, 2026
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