A Field Manual · No. I · Volume 2
Georgia
Free timeline cardThe evaluation and IEP timeline sections of the Georgia page from Volume 2 appear here word for word, with their citations. Law checked July 14, 2026.What the labels mean
1. Initial evaluation timeline
60 calendar days from the district’s receipt of signed parental consent to evaluate - but the clock tolls for breaks and summer. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 160-4-7-.04 (Evaluations and Reevaluations): the initial evaluation “[m]ust be completed within 60 calendar days of receiving parental consent for evaluation.” Same number as the federal default (34 C.F.R. § 300.301(c)(1)), but Georgia layers on two tolling rules that federal law permits states to adopt:
- “Holiday periods and other circumstances when children are not in attendance for five consecutive school days shall not be counted toward the 60 calendar day timeline, including the weekend days before and after such holiday periods, if contiguous to the holidays.”
- “Any summer vacation period in which the majority of an LEA’s teachers are not under contract shall not be included in the 60 day timeline.” Consent received 30 or more days before the last day of school must still be completed inside the 60-day window; consent received after that point pauses on teachers’ last day and restarts on teachers’ first day of the next year.
Day 1 is the day consent is received, unless received during a break of five or more consecutive days or over the summer, in which case Day 1 is the first day students return. Georgia measures compliance to the initial eligibility meeting date (federal Indicator 11) in its GO-IEP system. Sources: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 160-4-7-.04 (Cornell LII); State Board Rule 160-4-7-.04 (GaDOE PDF); GaDOE GO-IEP Timelines Report; GaDOE GO-IEP Timelines page; GaDOE Handbook on Parents’ Rights (Parent Rights Guide, Aug. 2022).
2. Eligibility-to-IEP timeline
30 calendar days from the determination that the child needs special education and related services. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 160-4-7-.06 adopts 34 C.F.R. § 300.323(c)(1), and 34 C.F.R. § 300.11(a) defines an unqualified “day” as a calendar day. A GO-IEP display based on a local system calendar does not change the legal day type. Under current GaDOE practice, consent for initial services is sought after eligibility is determined. Sources: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 160-4-7-.06; State Board Rule 160-4-7-.06; 34 C.F.R. § 300.11.
Locked on this page · what membership adds
- 3. State complaint
- 4. Due process
- 5. Recording IEP meetings
- 6. Age of majority / transfer of rights
- 7. State education agency special-education office
- 8. Parent Training and Information Center (Georgia)
- 9. Peculiarity worth knowing
- Sources
Use this companion with the verified review edition of The IEP Field Manual. Begin with the federal tool, then check the state entry before relying on a timeline, filing route, age, credential rule, records period, restraint or seclusion duty, or other state-specific procedure.
Each state entry cites official sources. Links and state rules change. Confirm the cited official page again before a high-stakes act or deadline.
This companion is educational information, not legal advice. It does not replace advice from a licensed attorney in the state where the student attends school.
Open your state’s page
All 51 state pages come with the Field Manual membership, together with the 97 tools, the 40 editable letters, and the eight visual maps. $14 monthly or $99 yearly. Cancel online anytime. Fourteen-day first-charge refund guarantee.