Get help when your child’s IEP is not working.

When your child is struggling in school, it can be hard to know whether the IEP is strong enough, whether the school is following it, or whether your child needs different services, supports, or placement.

Parents in Montgomery County often come to Shefter Law, P.A. after months of meetings, emails, concerns, and little to no change. The school may say your child is making progress, but you may see something different at home: anxiety, school refusal, falling grades, behavior concerns, unfinished work, frustration, or a child who is losing confidence.

You do not have to keep walking into IEP meetings unsure what to ask for.

Shefter Law helps Montgomery County and Rockville families navigate IEPs, 504 Plans, evaluations, services, accommodations, placement disputes, school discipline, mediation, and due process concerns.

Start with a Free Case Analysis

IEP and special education help in Montgomery County

An IEP should be built around your child’s actual needs. That means the school should be looking at evaluations, present levels, goals, services, accommodations, progress data, behavior, related services, and placement.

But parents often feel like the process moves too fast or that decisions have already been made before the meeting starts.

You may be wondering:

• Should I agree to the proposed IEP?
• Are the goals measurable enough?
• Is my child receiving the services listed in the IEP?
• Should I request a reevaluation?
• Is the school ignoring my concerns?
• Does my child need a different placement?
• Is mediation or due process the next step?

Shefter Law helps parents slow the process down, understand what is happening, and make more informed decisions before agreeing to something that may affect their child’s education.

When Montgomery County parents contact us

Parents often contact Shefter Law when:

• their child has an IEP but is not making meaningful progress
• the school refuses to evaluate or reevaluate the child
• the IEP goals are vague, weak, repeated, or not measurable
• services or accommodations are missing
• the school is not following the IEP or 504 Plan
• the school wants to reduce, remove, or change services
• the parent disagrees with the proposed placement
• behavior, anxiety, ADHD, autism, dyslexia, executive functioning, or school refusal is not being addressed
• the school scheduled a manifestation determination review meeting
• mediation or due process is being discussed
• the parent feels rushed, dismissed, or outnumbered in meetings

If you are having repeated school meetings but your child’s situation is not improving, it may be time to get legal strategy before the next meeting.

How Shefter Law can help

Shefter Law helps parents with IEP and special education concerns, including:

• IEP meeting preparation and representation
• IEP and 504 Plan review
• evaluation and reevaluation concerns
• eligibility disputes
• services and accommodation concerns
• placement disputes
• nonpublic placement issues
• school discipline and manifestation determination review meetings
• special education mediation
• due process complaints
• parent coaching and document review
• strategy and next-step planning

The goal is not to turn every school concern into a fight. The goal is to help parents understand what the data shows, what the school is proposing, what may be missing, and what next steps to take.

Start with a Free Case Analysis

The first step is a Free Case Analysis.

During the Case Analysis, our intake team will ask specific questions to learn the basic facts about the school issues you are facing, and determine whether Shefter Law may be able to help.

The Case Analysis is a screening step. It is not a legal advice session and does not create an attorney-client relationship.

If your matter is a fit, the next step is a Strategy Session.

The next step: Strategy Session and Action Plan

If your situation is a fit, the next step may be a Strategy Session or Document Review Strategy Session.

If you opt for a Document Review Strategy Session, the attorney will review specific documents before the Strategy Session.  We will then have a Strategy Session.

During the Strategy Session, whether you opted for document review or not, you meet with an attorney who reviews your concerns, identifies key legal issues, and explains your options. After the session, you receive a written Action Plan with recommended next steps, questions to ask, and strategies for moving forward.  If you opted for a document review, the Action Plan will include comments on the documents that were reviewed.

For Montgomery County IEP matters, your Action Plan will clarify what concerns to raise at the next meeting, what information may be missing, what requests may be appropriate, and what steps may be available if the school does not respond appropriately.

If more legal support is needed

Some families only need a Strategy Session and written Action Plan. Others may need additional representation.

During the Strategy Session, the attorney will discuss the types of support Shefter Law can provide.  The right level of support depends on your child’s needs, the school issues, the timeline, and the path you choose to take.

Common IEP issues in Montgomery County

The IEP is not helping

If your child has an IEP but continues to fall behind, avoid school, struggle emotionally, or make limited progress, the team may need to re-examine goals, services, supports, accommodations, and placement.

The school is not following the IEP

An IEP is only useful if it is implemented. If services, accommodations, behavior supports, or related services are not being provided, parents may need to raise implementation concerns clearly and strategically.

The school refuses to evaluate

Evaluations drive eligibility, services, goals, and placement. If the school refuses to evaluate or relies on incomplete information, the entire plan may be affected.

The 504 Plan is not enough

Some students need more than accommodations. If your child needs specialized instruction, related services, behavior support, or more intensive intervention, it may be time to discuss whether an IEP is appropriate.

Placement is becoming a concern

If the current placement is not working or the school is proposing a placement you disagree with, obtain strategies before agreeing to a major change.

Discipline or behavior is escalating

Suspensions, removals, manifestation determination reviews, and behavior incidents can have serious consequences. If your child has a disability and discipline is becoming an issue, timing is crucial.

Serving Rockville and Montgomery County families

Shefter Law, P.A. is based in Rockville and helps families throughout Montgomery County with special education issues involving IEPs, 504 Plans, evaluations, placement, discipline, mediation, and due process complaints.

We work with families who need clarity before an IEP meeting, strategy before a school decision, or legal support when a special education dispute becomes more serious.

Get clear before your next IEP decision

You do not have to keep attending school meetings confused, frustrated, or unsure what to ask for.

Start with a Free Case Analysis. If your matter is a fit, the next step is a Strategy Session where we can review your concerns, identify key issues, and provide a written Action Plan.

Start with a Free Case Analysis