There’s No Shame in Enlisting ChatGPT Into the Team

I’ve always envied witty people, you know… the ones who always seem to have the perfect comeback at the right moment. That’s not me. If I don’t script or practice a little before tough conversations, my brain freezes. I walk away wishing I’d said something better, and sometimes I’ll replay those moments in my head for weeks.

That’s why I decided to try something different: enlist AI as part of my prep team.

The Experiment

While building my game plan for an upcoming IEP meeting, I uploaded my child’s IEP into ChatGPT and asked it to break down the current services and compare them to last year’s. I wanted a refresher on what was promised, what was delivered, and where things had shifted.

The result? ChatGPT flagged services that had been reduced—something I hadn’t caught yet. It also suggested possible services and supports based on how the goals were written. My first thought: if AI can already help doctors approve medical treatments, why can’t parents use it to strengthen their advocacy in IEPs?

Playing Devil’s Advocate

Next, I asked ChatGPT to role-play. I told it: “Pretend you’re the school administrator. These parent requests go against policy. We don’t have staff. We don’t have funding. How would you object?”

What came back floored me. The objections it generated matched almost word-for-word the pushback I had heard in last year’s meeting. Suddenly, I had a window into the school’s playbook.

Of course, here’s the legal truth: under IDEA, schools can’t deny services just because of staffing shortages or lack of funding. They have to tie their decisions to the child’s needs and issue Prior Written Notice if they refuse a request. But the reality is… parents do hear these excuses in meetings, and it’s powerful to practice responding to them.

Building the Counter-Response

So I flipped the script. In a new chat, I pasted those objections and wrote: “Now I’m the parent requesting X, Y, and Z. Use IDEA, FAPE, and Florida Statute to respond.”

ChatGPT didn’t just give me canned lines but also it pointed me to the relevant sections of IDEA and explained why denying a service on those grounds could be considered a violation. (Important note: AI can sometimes make mistakes with citations, so I always double-check them. But having the language in front of me was a huge confidence boost.)

Why This Matters

• Public schools: Bound by IDEA, they must consider every request and issue Prior Written Notice if they refuse.

• Charter schools: They’re also bound by IDEA, but in practice, compliance can feel less consistent because oversight structures differ. Sometimes it really does feel like a coin toss.

Either way, walking in prepared makes it much harder for your requests to be brushed aside.

The Takeaway

Practicing both sides of the table with AI changed everything for me. It turned my fear of freezing into confidence that I could advocate for my child with clarity and backbone.

I may even make a video showing exactly how I set this up, because if it made my heart leap with relief, I know it can do the same for other parents.

✨ Remember: AI is not a lawyer, and it’s not a substitute for your judgment. But as a rehearsal partner, it’s one of the best tools I’ve ever used to walk into an IEP meeting ready.