California IEP evaluation deadline: how long does the school have?

You signed the assessment plan. Here is exactly what California law requires next, and what to do if the date passes.

The part most parents miss: school breaks pause the clock

California does not count days between regular school sessions or terms, or vacations longer than five school days. Summer break stops the clock entirely. A 60-day deadline signed in May does not mean an IEP meeting in July.

There is an earlier deadline before this one

The 60-day clock only starts once you have signed. But the district has its own deadline to get you that paperwork: it must give you a written assessment plan within 15 calendar days of your referral, and you then get at least 15 days to review and sign it (Ed. Code § 56321).

This matters because a district that sits on your request for two months has already violated the law — even though the 60-day clock never technically started. Put your request in writing and keep the date.

How to count your deadline

1. Find the date the district received your signed assessment plan. Not the date you mailed it — the date they got it.
2. Count forward 60 calendar days, including weekends and holidays.
3. Add back any full break periods longer than five school days (winter break, spring break, summer).
4. That date is the deadline for the assessment and the IEP meeting.

What to do if the deadline passes

1. Put it in writing the same week. Email the case manager and the special education director. State the consent date, the deadline date, and that it has passed. A phone call creates no record.
2. Ask for prior written notice. If the district refuses or delays, you are entitled to a written explanation of what it is doing and why.
3. File a state complaint. A missed timeline is a straightforward compliance violation. In California this goes to the CDE Special Education Division. It is free and does not require a lawyer.
4. Keep the paper trail. Every date, every email, every response.