What Is An IEE And How Do I Request One?
Independent Educational Evaluation.
An IEE is an evaluation within a certain professional domain (e.g., neuropsychological, speech/language, audiological, occupational therapy etc.) assesses your child outside of the public school district. The evaluation is completed by an outside provider (e.g., neuropsychologist, school psychologist, speech/language pathologist) of the family’s choosing that is not employed by the school district. This can be done either through private expense (typically parents) or at public expense.
A parent/guardian may request an IEE (recommended to be done in writing to your special education and/or pupil personnel departments) if they disagree with the school’s evaluation and/or feel the evaluation was inadequate and request the school pays the professional of the family’s choosing. The school district can either agree to pay at an approved rate (Part B of IDEA) or file for an impartial hearing. If you request an IEE at public expense, your school district must either A) provide an IEE at public expense, unless the school district demonstrates in a hearing that the evaluation of your child that you obtained did not meet the school district’s criteria or B) file a due process complaint to request a hearing to show that their evaluation of your child is appropriate. If your school district requests a hearing and the final decision is that the school’s evaluation of your child is appropriate, you still have the right to an IEE, but not at public expense.
When you request an IEE, the school district may ask you why you object to their evaluation; however, you are not obligated to explain your reasons. For example, if the school evaluation did not find evidence of a disability that you think exists, you do not believe the disability your child has been diagnosed with is correct, you think the results of the testing are not accurate, or the school’s evaluation did not examine all the areas/issues you think it should have. If you request an IEE, the school district must provide you with information about where you may obtain one and about the school district’s criteria that apply to IEE. And if/when an IEE is approved, the family may choose any qualified provider to perform the evaluation; the evaluator does not need to be on the district’s recommended list of providers.