Request an IEP evaluation: the letter that starts the clock

Once your district receives a written request for a special education evaluation, it has 15 calendar days to respond with an assessment plan CA Ed Code §56321 — and 60 days after your signed consent to complete the evaluation and hold the IEP meeting CA Ed Code §56344. Email the letter below to the principal and the district’s special-education director, and keep a dated copy: the clock starts on receipt, not on a phone call.

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Assessment plan due within 15 calendar days of your written request (school breaks over 5 school days pause the clock) · evaluation and IEP meeting within 60 days of your signed consent Ed Code §56321 · §56344

[Date]

Dear [Principal’s name] and [Special-education director’s name],

I’m the parent of [Child’s full name] (born [DOB]), a [grade] student at [School name]. I’m reaching out because I’ve been seeing some things that worry me — especially around [brief summary of your concerns — e.g., communication, social interaction, attention, sensory needs] — and I’d like your team’s help understanding what’s going on.

So we can all work from the same information, I’d like to ask for a special education evaluation of [Child’s first name] in all areas of suspected disability. Please treat this letter as my written request — I understand that starts a 15-calendar-day window for the assessment plan, and 60 days after I sign it for the evaluation (Ed Code §56321 and §56344), so I wanted to get us going.

I’m glad to help however I can — records, notes from home, or a conversation. Please send the assessment plan and any questions to me at the contact information below.

Thank you for everything you do for [Child’s first name]. I’m looking forward to working on this together.

Sincerely,
[Your full name]
[Address · phone · email]

After you send it

  1. Calendar day 15. If no assessment plan has arrived by then, follow up in writing and reference your original letter’s date — the district’s response deadline is 15 calendar days, not business days CA Ed Code §56321.
  2. Sign the assessment plan promptly when it arrives. The 60-day evaluation clock starts at your signed consent, not at your request — the sooner you sign, the sooner it runs.
  3. Check the plan’s scope. The evaluation must cover all areas of suspected disability — if a concern you raised isn’t listed, ask in writing for it to be added before you sign.

While the school clock runs: ask the Regional Center to evaluate too

The school evaluation is one of two free evaluation doors. If your child may have a developmental disability — or is under 3 — start the Regional Center’s evaluation as well. The two clocks run in parallel, neither waits for the other, and the Regional Center door is where respite and Medi-Cal help live.

  1. Call your Regional Center’s intake line and say: “I’d like to request an intake and assessment for my child.” Those words are the formal trigger — anyone believed to have a developmental disability is eligible for intake, no doctor’s referral or completed diagnosis needed to start WIC §4642.
  2. Write down the date of your call, and ask them to confirm it in writing. For age 3 and up, intake starts within 15 working days and any needed assessment is due within 120 days of intake WIC §4643. Under 3, Early Start must complete the evaluation and initial family service plan within 45 days of the referral 17 CCR §52086.
  3. Not sure which of the 21 centers is yours? The Regional Center finder answers in seconds — and the Regional Center guide has the whole playbook, from intake through the IPP meeting.
Want it personalized and tracked?Waypoint drafts this letter in your name, calendars the 15- and 60-day deadlines, and follows up so nothing slips.
Draft mine in Waypoint →

Sources

The primary sources behind this page, so you can check us.

  1. CA Ed Code §56321 (15-day assessment plan; vacation pause)Accessed Sep 7, 2026
  2. CA Ed Code §56043 (60-day IEP meeting after signed consent, per §56344)Accessed Sep 7, 2026
  3. WIC §4643 (regional center intake and assessment clocks)Accessed Sep 7, 2026
  4. 17 CCR §52086 (Early Start 45-day timeline)Accessed Sep 7, 2026
  5. WIC §4642 (anyone believed to have a developmental disability is eligible for intake)Accessed Sep 7, 2026
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