Parent Response – Steps for Disagreements

Use this article when the parent or guardian does not accept the full plan, gives partial consent, disagrees with an eligibility outcome, or later changes the response.

Choose a Parent Response & Close the Meeting
Contact attempts, continued meetings, and the current menu options.

Compare the Impact of Each Response
What happens to Current data, goals, finalization, and reporting.

Handle Disagreement, Stay Put, or Partial Consent
Step-by-step procedures when the full plan is not accepted.

1. Before Selecting a Disagreement Response

Confirm that the meeting is complete. If the team will continue the meeting, document the continuation and keep the event open.
Document the disagreement in the Meeting Summary Notes, Agreement and Attendance page, and other locally required forms.
Identify exactly which eligibility finding, goals, services, placement, dates, or other plan components were accepted or disputed.
Select only the Parent Response displayed by SIRAS for that meeting type and outcome.

No response is not automatically a disagreement.
When the meeting is complete but the response is still pending, use Awaiting Response and continue documenting Contact Attempts. Use Parent Contacted, No Response only after the district's required contact-attempt process has been completed. Do not select a disagreement response merely because a signature is delayed.

Complete the meeting and required documents.
While follow-up is still active, use Awaiting Response and keep the meeting open.
Record each contact attempt in Contact Attempts and document the method, outcome, and required context in notes.
After the district's required contact-attempt process has been completed, confirm the closure decision with the administrator or SEDS Coordinator.
Select Parent Contacted, No Response when it is available for the meeting.
Review Pending Changes. Proposed plan changes remain held and goals do not advance.
Finalize the meeting. Do not report a new unaccepted PLAN or SERV; report the applicable MEET record when required.
If agreement is later received, change the Parent Response to Accepts the Plan (Signed Consent) and verify Current/MIS data, goals, services, and reporting.

This is not an affirmative disagreement response. It documents that the district completed the required follow-up process but did not receive an agreement or disagreement.

2. Parent Contacted, No Response

3. Does Not Accept the Plan / Stay-Put / No Plan

Document the parent's disagreement and the district's proposed offer.
Select Does not accept the plan / Stay-Put / No Plan.
Review the Pending Changes tab. The proposed plan changes should remain held rather than replacing the last agreed-to Current plan.
If the meeting contains Next Year's Data, review it before finalizing. Cancel unapproved future field changes and remove unapproved pending services. See Next Year's Data – Finalizing a Stay Put Meeting.
Finalize the meeting so the meeting, offer, notes, and response are preserved in SIRAS.
Continue implementing and measuring progress on the last agreed-to plan and goals.
Verify the MIS Summary, Current services, goals, and meeting archive.
Report the applicable meeting/status information, but do not report a new unaccepted PLAN or SERV.

Triennial – No Longer Eligible

When the triennial team determines that the student is no longer eligible but the parent disagrees, use Does not accept the plan / Stay-Put / No Plan.

SIRAS does not exit the student. The district continues to treat the student as eligible while the disagreement is addressed.

4. Does Not Accept Plan (Initial Meeting)

Document that the student was evaluated and the proposed initial plan was not accepted.
Select Does not accept plan (initial meeting).
Finalize the meeting using the applicable Initial Evaluation outcome.
Do not implement or report an unaccepted PLAN or SERV.
Verify the eligibility/status and MEET information with the SEDS Coordinator.

If the parent later accepts the initial plan, update the Parent Response and verify the correct participation, plan, service, and effective-date information before reporting.

5. Partial Consent

Partial consent

Use this response when the parent accepts identified portions of the plan but does not accept all goals.

Partial consent (Agree to Goals)

Use this response when the parent accepts the goals and identified portions of the plan, but does not accept the full plan.

Procedure

Document each approved and disputed component clearly.
Select the applicable partial-consent response.
Finalize the meeting.
Coordinate with a SIRAS administrator or SEDS Coordinator to apply only the approved portions to Current data.
Preserve the last agreed-to information for all portions that were not approved.
For Partial consent, do not advance goals.
For Partial consent (Agree to Goals), confirm that the approved goals advanced correctly.
Verify Current/MIS data, services, goals, and the meeting archive before any reporting correction is submitted.

6. Eligibility Disagreements

Scenario	Parent Response	Procedure
The team finds the student eligible, but the parent does not accept eligibility.	Does not accept Eligibility	Document the disagreement, finalize the applicable Initial Evaluation or Eligibility Only event, and follow the current eligibility/status reporting procedure. Do not implement a plan through this response.
The team finds the student not eligible and the parent agrees.	Agrees with ineligibility	Finalize the DNQ/eligibility-only event and complete the applicable meeting/status reporting. No PLAN or SERV is created.
The team finds the student not eligible and the parent disagrees.	Disagrees with ineligibility	Document the disagreement, finalize the evaluation outcome as appropriate, and complete the applicable meeting/status reporting. No PLAN or SERV is created.

7. When the Parent Later Accepts More or All of the Plan

Preserve documentation showing the date and scope of the later agreement.
Open the finalized meeting and change the Parent Response to the response that now reflects the parent's decision.
Confirm which Pending Changes should now be applied.
Verify the MIS Summary, services, goals, and effective dates.
Review the meeting archive and coordinate any corrected or additional CALPADS reporting with the SEDS Coordinator.
If the agreement remains partial, apply only the newly approved portions and preserve the last agreed-to information for everything else.

Need to compare impacts before proceeding? See Parent Response – Impact Table.