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Parents would get mandatory notice when IEP services are missed under bill named for late daughter
Summary
Sponsors and family witnesses urged support for HB 13-68, which would require school systems to notify parents when a child's IEP services are missed past a threshold (sponsor suggested 50% of a service), explain corrective steps and provide information on requesting meetings; advocates said timely notice is crucial to secure compensatory services.
Delegate Rosenberg and sponsor witnesses presented House Bill 13-68, which would require school systems to notify parents or guardians when a student’s individualized education program (IEP) services have been missed beyond a set threshold and to provide details on what services were missed, why, corrective steps, and how to request a meeting.
Glenn Grama, who testified with his family in memory of their daughter, told the committee the bill was inspired by an experience in which a student’s one‑to‑one aide specified in an IEP had not been provided for an entire school year without the parents’ knowledge. "If a school fails to provide 50% of a service, the school needs to tell the parent," Grama said, describing the bill’s proposed notification timeline and content as a reasonable transparency measure.
Disability advocates, including Disability Rights Maryland and Project TEAL, testified in support and gave examples where parents only learned of missed services years later when seeking remedies; they argued timely notice increases the chance that compensatory education will be delivered in a way that benefits the child.
Some committee members noted schools already have notification obligations under federal law but said the bill aims to ensure consistent, timely local practice and avoid lengthy delays that reduce remedy effectiveness. The hearing ended without a vote.
