Maiara Lisa thank you for your input, as I am always enurcoaged when I learn that educators are reading my blog. And you couldn't be more correct that it is not a cost-saving measure to blow initial or triennial evaluations deadlines, not just because of potential litigation, but because of the likelihood that the costs of services increases for students who have not received early or proper intervention. I do have to take issue, however, with your referring to those who have IEPs as the lucky few. I have yet to meet a parent whose dream for their child was to have them labeled as a student requiring special education; in fact, the reverse is usually true. And while you're right that parents of children with special needs need to recognize, just as do parents of children without special needs, that there are priorities that a school district must make and they can not meet all of the students' needs all of the time, I have to say that most of the parents I encounter aren't looking for Cadillacs, but rather Chevy's with an engine. It's also hard for many of my clients to understand why their kids are being denied the most basic of services (e.g. speech and language support for a child who clearly needs it) when the district is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a football program, for example. I always encourage my clients to place their disputes in perspective (see my blogs on Seeing the Forest for the Trees, etc.), but I wonder how the parents of regular education students would react if they were continually faced with comments like we only have to give your child a basic education or we aren't required to provide the best, only an appropriate program. Usually parents with children with IEPs hear that as they pass under a sign emblazoned on the wall of the building stating that the mission statement of the school is to provide the best program designed to maximize the potential of their students but apparently only for those without IEPs.Sorry, I went off a bit there, but I hope that you can see my point. I do genuinely appreciate yours, and that you're following. Best, Jen