DEFENSIBLE IEPs SERIES
Where Law, Compliance, and High-Quality IEPs Meet to Strengthen Practice, Reduce Risk, and Lead with Confidence
The Defensible IEPs Series featuring Julie Weatherly, Esq., is designed to help special education leaders, special education teachers, IEP service providers and building level administrators develop, implement, and defend IEPs in alignment with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This series supports leaders in understanding not just what an IEP must include—but why it matters legally, how decisions are evaluated in disputes, and how to reduce risk while maintaining student-centered practice. IEPs sit at the center of special education law. When IEPs are unclear, misaligned, or poorly implemented, districts face increased exposure to: state complaints, Mediation and due process, and the like.
The CASE Defensible IEPs Series is intentionally designed to help leaders connect legal requirements to daily IEP practice, ensuring decisions are grounded in law, data, and defensible reasoning.
If you attend just two events annually, you will save more than the cost of your CASE membership. Join CASE Here.
What’s Included in the CASE Defensible IEPs Series
This series includes two offerings, which together, provide a comprehensive legal framework for IEP development and decision-making: Developing Defensible IEPs and The Deeper Dive: IEPs Through a Legal Lens.
Who Should Participate?
- Special education directors and administrators
- Supervisors and coordinators
- Building-level leaders responsible for IEP oversight
- District and state-level special education professionals
- Leaders involved in dispute resolution, compliance, and monitoring
- District and/or building IEP team member professional
Developing Defensible IEPs
The Legal Foundation
Attend this foundation session and then the Deeper Dive sessions.
Developing Defensible IEPs focuses on the legal requirements that shape every compliant and defensible IEP under IDEA.  Virtual Webinar, featuring Julie Weatherly, Esq. This key foundational legal session is to ensure IEPs are developed and implemented as the LAW intends. Spend the day learning about the Supreme Court's "Process/Content Standard" for determining the legal appropriateness of an IEP. This session includes a discussion of frequently challenged IEP process and content considerations in IEP development, including:
- Predetermination of placement versus appropriate meeting preparation
- The importance of the "I" in IEP and IDEA
- Using an appropriate process for making Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) determinations
- Failure to have legally mandatory IEP team members present at IEP meetings
- Ensuring meaningful parent input and participation into decision-making
- Proper use of "Prior Written Notice"
- Inclusion of appropriate present levels of performance and goals in IEPs
- Appropriately addressing required "Special Factors" in IEPs, such as, behavioral issues
- Appropriately addressing transition services
NOTE: No recording of this session will be provided to registrants. Registered attendees must be present for the event. If you are not currently a CASE member, the total cost to join CASE and register for this webinar is $495. This includes:
- CASE Membership (includes CEC Basic Membership)
- Webinar Registration at the CASE Member Rate ($350)
By becoming a member first, you can take advantage of the discounted member registration rate for the webinar.
Defensible IEP Webinar
January 28, 20279:00 AM-4:00 PMCASE Members $350Non CASE Members $545
Deadline for registration is January 26, 2027 at 4 PM (Central Time) and the link for registered attendees is provided 1 day prior to the scheduled event. A recording of this session will not be provided.
The Deeper Dive, 4-Part IEP Series
Advanced Legal Application
The Deeper Dive , 4-Part IEP Series is designed for leaders ready to move beyond compliance basics and into complex legal analysis and application.
Each Session is set from 12:00 PM-2:00 PM (Central Time)
 Registration Information for the Deeper Dive IEP Series
If you are not currently a CASE member, the total cost to join CASE and register for this webinar is $595 (full series) or $295 (individual session). This includes:
- CASE Membership (includes CEC Basic Membership)
- Webinar Registration at the CASE Member Rate
By becoming a member first, you can take advantage of the discounted member registration rate for the webinar. Join CASE Here.
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CASE Members |
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Non Members |
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Registration Links |
Full Series (discounted 25% for the full series)
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$450 |
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$1,035 |
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Individual Sessions
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$150 |
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$345 |
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Registration for each session will close 2 days prior to the scheduled event. Links for registered attendees are provided 1 day prior to the scheduled event. A recording of these events will not be provided.
Session Dates and TopicsEach Individual Session is from 12:00PM-2:00PM
| February 19, 2027 |
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Understanding Procedural Safeguards - Part 1 |
| February 25, 2027 |
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Understanding Procedural Safeguards - Part 2 |
| March 1, 2027 |
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Extended School Year |
| March 4, 2027 |
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Independent Educational Evaluations |
IEP Resource
Developing Defensible IEPs: Laminated Guide
This laminated quick-reference guide by Julie Weatherly, Esq. helps educators create legally sound, effective IEPs. It outlines the legal standard for FAPE, the top 10 process mistakes, and top eight content mistakes—and how to avoid them. While not a substitute for legal counsel, it offers practical strategies to ensure compliance with IDEA and legal precedent.
Price: $14.95 Guidance for Virtual Learning
By registering for and participating in this remote learning session, you acknowledge and agree that participants are strictly prohibited from recording, photographing, saving, reproducing, sharing, or posting any portion of the session in any format. Unauthorized recording or distribution is not permitted. These sessions are delivered via live video communication. Participants are expected to respect the privacy of attendees and the intellectual property rights of CASE and RISE at all times.
Payment & Refund Policy
- Individual registrations must be paid by credit card at the time of registration.
- Purchase orders are only accepted for 10 or more registrations from the same organization. To use a purchase order, please email [email protected] for instructions.
- Refunds (minus a 25% administrative fee) are available if requested in writing or by email at least one month before the event. No refunds will be issued for requests received after that date. Membership purchase ($145) is non-refundable.
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