AI is helping San Francisco families make sense of IEPs - and giving educators a clearer partner at the table
Rosa Mendoza's daughter has had an IEP for years - first for hearing loss and balance issues, then a new diagnosis of developmental delay. The plan was updated. The problem: it was in English, nearly 50 pages long, and dense with jargon. Translation through the district can take around 10 days. That's too long when decisions and services are on the line.
So Mendoza turned to AiEP, a free, local AI tool built by Innovate Public Schools with engineers from Northeastern University's Burnes Center for Social Change. It translates, summarizes, and highlights what matters in an IEP - without connecting to large public models like ChatGPT, according to its developers. For families, that clarity means faster advocacy. For educators, it can make meetings more focused and reduce confusion.
What AiEP actually does
- Translates IEPs into Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Vietnamese.
- Summarizes key points, replaces jargon with plain language, and highlights services down to the minute.
- Generates checklists and questions to prepare families for IEP meetings.
One parent, Shan Hong, spotted a serious discrepancy with help from AiEP. Staff said her son would get 227 minutes of weekly language arts support; the written plan mistakenly listed 100. She caught it and fixed it before signing.
Why this matters for educators
San Francisco has more than 13,000 English learners - about a quarter of the district - and roughly 2,300 of them are in special education. Even with a quoted 10-day translation timeline, families are left waiting. Meanwhile, special education teams are stretched thin, and minor errors in minutes or services can trigger major issues later.
Tools like AiEP don't replace the IEP process. They help families understand it. That tends to produce better questions, cleaner agreements, and fewer back-and-forths after the meeting.
Adoption, security, and what schools are asking
About 200 local families have started using AiEP. Principals at several schools with large non-English-speaking populations have seen it and called it promising. They also want formal agreements and security assurances before broader use.
SFUSD has stated it cannot put student information into third-party AI tools without approval. Board members have raised privacy concerns. The developers say AiEP redacts identifying data, destroys the original upload, and lets parents delete everything at any time; no personal information is used to train models, according to the team.
Immediate moves educators can make
- Open meetings with a two-minute "services snapshot": minutes per service, provider, frequency, and setting. Share a one-page handout in the family's language.
- Audit minutes before finalizing: cross-check what's said vs. what's written. Do a quick read-back for each service and confirm in writing on the spot.
- Pre-brief families: send a plain-language summary of proposed changes and a short glossary (goals, accommodations, services, placement).
- Track delivery: set mid-cycle check-ins to confirm services are happening as written. Document missed minutes and make-up plans.
- Clarify AI boundaries: if your district prohibits staff uploads to third-party tools, say so clearly. Families can still choose to use tools on their own.
- Prioritize bilingual support: schedule interpreters early and budget time for translation review, especially when plans exceed 30 pages.
Policy checkpoints
- Keep IEPs compliant with IDEA: timelines, consent, services, progress reporting, and placement decisions must remain front and center.
- Stay within district rules on data privacy before using any tool at school or on district devices.
For federal guidance on family rights and IEP requirements, see the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Read the official IDEA site.
What parents are saying
"You've got to be really sharp at an IEP meeting," Mendoza said through an interpreter. "You have to be ready to speak up." Another parent leader, Araceli Arellano, put it simply: "I no longer just observe. I also have a voice."
Educators on the ground feel the strain too. One principal called out the mismatch between today's tools and yesterday's systems. AiEP won't fix staffing gaps or caseloads, but it's one more way to cut through confusion and keep services on track.
If you're building AI fluency across your team
If your school or district is developing staff skills for safe, practical AI use, this resource hub may help: AI courses by job.
Bottom line for educators
IEPs are legal documents, not puzzles. Families need fast clarity; schools need accuracy and follow-through. Tighten your minute tracking, make meetings readable, and set clear privacy rules. If families bring AI-generated summaries, welcome them - they often point to the same goal you have: getting students the services they're owed, on time.
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