Academics · Subject Resources

If it was not written down,
it is hard to prove.

Special education disagreements often come down to who said what, and when. Log every email, call and meeting with the school the day it happens: the facts, any request and when an answer is due. The log counts open requests, shows which ones are late and reminds you to confirm every phone call in writing.

Log a contactWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Study skills kit, $29 for 30 items.

Contacts with the school

The worked example is made up: an evaluation request with no answer after three weeks, a teacher’s call about missing accommodations and an annual review where services were cut. Saved on this device only.

Loading the contact form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Academics · Subject Resources$5

What you finish with
A record per contact with the school: date, how, who by role, who started it, topic, a factual summary, whether a request is open, when a response is due and whether it came, and four record-keeping habits. Works out days since each contact and days to or past each response date; counts open and late requests; flags late responses, open requests with no date, calls and meetings with no confirming email, evaluation requests not in writing and disagreements that call for prior written notice.
Who it is for
Parents and caregivers of children with an IEP, a 504 plan or an evaluation under way, and the students themselves as they get older.
Format
Browser log with a saved record per contact. Prints one contact, the whole log in a table or a blank log page; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Study skills kit ($29) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Subject Resources space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Log each contact the same day.
  2. Write facts and quotes, not feelings.
  3. Give every request a date for an answer.
  4. Confirm every call or meeting by email.
  5. Print the log before the next meeting.

Log a contact

What to put in writing

Put these in writingSituationWhat to sendWhy it mattersAsking for an evaluationA dated email or letterA dated record of the askAfter a phone call“To confirm our call today…”Turns a call into a recordDisagreeing at a meetingAsk for prior written noticeThe school must say whyAsking for recordsA dated written requestDue within 45 days at mostPut these in writingAsking for an evaluationWhat to send: A dated email or letterWhy it matters: A dated record of the askAfter a phone callWhat to send: “To confirm our call today…”Why it matters: Turns a call into a recordDisagreeing at a meetingWhat to send: Ask for prior written noticeWhy it matters: The school must say whyAsking for recordsWhat to send: A dated written requestWhy it matters: Due within 45 days at most
Prior written notice and the 45-day limit on records requests come from the federal special education and student privacy rules; your state may set shorter timelines.

Facts, not feelings

Write what was said and decided, in plain sentences: “The team proposed three sessions a week instead of five.” A log that reads calmly is more useful in a meeting, a complaint or mediation than one that reads angry.

Prior written notice

Under the federal special education law, a school must give parents written notice when it proposes or refuses to change a child’s identification, evaluation, placement or services, with its reasons and the information it used. If a change is proposed at a meeting, you can ask for that notice.

Sources

  1. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act regulations: 34 CFR 300.503 (prior written notice) and 300.613 (access to records).
  2. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act regulations: 34 CFR 99.10 (a parent’s right to inspect education records within 45 days).
  3. Center for Parent Information and Resources. Parent rights and keeping records (parentcenterhub.org).
  4. U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. Parent and educator resource guide to Section 504 (2016).

The worked example is made up. This log is for your records; it is not legal advice, and state timelines vary. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.