Educational information only — not legal advice. Always consult a licensed special education attorney for your specific situation.
Now in Beta · Waitlist Open
Walk into your child's IEP meeting knowing your rights.
SENTINEL·IEP listens in real time, flags anything that may conflict with federal law, and answers your questions from your own case documents — right in the room, with no internet required.
7.5M
Students with IEPs in the US
$0 trial
Free trial · 15-min cap
100%
Private — your data stays on your device
Think of it as TurboTax for IEPs. The same way TurboTax put professional-grade tax guidance in every family's hands, SENTINEL·IEP puts special education law knowledge in yours — right when you need it most.
Educational information only. Not a substitute for a licensed special education attorney.
The reality of IEP meetings
You walk in alone. They walk in with a team.
School districts come to IEP meetings with special education coordinators, administrators, and sometimes legal counsel. Most parents come with notes, worry, and a lot of love — but not the federal law memorized.
That knowledge gap is real. And districts, even well-intentioned ones, sometimes make statements that don't align with what IDEA actually requires. Most parents don't know it's happening.
SENTINEL·IEP closes that gap. It's the advocate in your pocket.
Without SENTINEL
Outmatched
Can't recall every section of IDEA on the spot
Verbal promises get made and forgotten
Hard to catch vague, unmeasurable goals
Fatigue sets in during long meetings
With SENTINEL
Prepared
Real-time flags when statements may conflict with law
Full timestamped transcript of everything said
Ask questions from your own documents
Works offline in any school building
What it does
Everything you need, right in the room
No WiFi. No cloud. No data leaving your laptop. Just clear, real-time guidance based on federal special education law.
🎙️
Real-Time Listening
Transcribes everything said in the meeting as it happens. Every statement is timestamped and saved — nothing gets lost or misremembered.
⚠️
Instant Compliance Flags
When something said may conflict with IDEA, FAPE, or FERPA, you see a flag immediately — so you can ask the right question in the moment.
📂
Your Documents, Answered
Load your child's IEP, evaluations, and PWN letters. Then ask questions in plain English and get answers grounded in your actual case.
📋
PWN Checklist
Automatically checks Prior Written Notice documents against all 7 required components under federal law — in seconds.
🔒
100% Offline by Design
Built for the cinderblock school conference room. No WiFi needed, no signal required, no data ever leaves your device.
📄
Meeting Log Export
Save a complete record of every transcript and flag from the meeting. Useful for follow-up, state complaints, or due process preparation.
Simple to use
Three steps. No technical setup.
1
Load Your Documents
Upload your child's IEP, evaluations, and any relevant letters before the meeting — from the comfort of home while you still have good WiFi.
2
Open Your Laptop
Walk into the meeting room and press Start. SENTINEL listens and reads in real time — no internet, no setup, no fuss.
3
Stay Informed
See flags, ask questions, and leave with a full timestamped record. You'll know what was said and what it may mean under federal law.
"For the first time in four years of IEP meetings, I felt like I actually understood what was happening — and what questions to ask."
— Beta user, parent of a student with autism, Ohio
Join the waitlist. It's free to start.
Get early access and be the first to know when full cloud features launch.
Architecture
Built for buildings with no signal.
Fully offline — no internet required during meetings
Most school conference rooms — especially in older buildings — have poor WiFi and worse cellular signal. SENTINEL was designed from the ground up to work in exactly those conditions.
Speech-to-text and AI analysis run entirely on your laptop. Your child's documents never leave your device. Nothing is sent to a cloud server during your meeting.
The only time you need internet is once, before the meeting, to set up your documents at home.
🎙️
Microphone Input
Captures meeting audio directly
Your Device
↓
📝
Whisper Speech-to-Text
Converts speech to text locally
Your Device
↓
⚖️
IDEA Law Analysis
Checked against federal requirements
Your Device
↓
🖥️
Flags & Guidance
Displayed on your screen in real time
Your Device
System requirements
Works on most laptops made after 2018.
SENTINEL is designed to run on ordinary hardware. You don't need a gaming computer or anything special.
✅
Recommended
Any Windows or Mac laptop with 8GB RAM or more, made in 2018 or later. The AI model downloads once (~1GB) while you're at home with internet.
⚡
Cloud Mode (Paid Plans)
Paid plans include cloud-assisted AI for higher-quality analysis when you have a connection. The local AI model still runs offline during meetings — the cloud is for prep work at home, not for the meeting itself.
Detailed capabilities
What SENTINEL actually does — and doesn't do.
🔍
IDEA Cross-Reference
Checks spoken statements against 34 CFR Part 300, FAPE requirements, LRE provisions, and procedural safeguards — in real time.
📊
Goal Quality Check
Flags IEP goals that may lack measurable baselines or specific target thresholds — a common way services become difficult to track or enforce.
🗂️
Document Q&A
Ask "What does my child's IEP say about reading services?" and get an answer sourced directly from the documents you loaded. No guessing.
⏱️
Timeline Transcript
A complete, timestamped record of every statement in the meeting — useful for follow-up conversations, state complaints, or due process preparation.
🛡️
Hardware-Smart
Automatically detects your laptop's capabilities and selects the best AI model for your hardware — so it stays fast even on older machines.
💾
Meeting Records
Export a full meeting log as a text file after every session. Your record, saved locally, available whenever you need it.
Ready to walk in prepared?
Join the waitlist for early access.
Simple, transparent pricing
Start free. Upgrade when you're ready.
Try the app free with a 15-minute cap. Buy once for one IEP crisis, or subscribe for ongoing support. Enterprise pricing for advocates and firms.
Free — Limited
Try It
See if SENTINEL fits before you commit.
$0
15 min recording cap · 3 documents max
Real IEP meetings run 60–90 min. The cap will hit.
Organizations, law firms, and Parent Training & Information Centers — contact us for group pricing.
Try it free. Pay when it earns it.
The free trial lets you see how SENTINEL works. Most parents hit the 15-minute cap mid-meeting — that's when you'll know whether it's worth it.
Know your rights
Federal law is on your side. Here's what it actually says.
SENTINEL is built on the same federal statutes your child's school is legally required to follow. Understanding the basics puts you on equal footing in any IEP meeting.
📜
IDEA — The Foundation
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act guarantees every eligible child a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and requires an Individualized Education Program (IEP) tailored to their unique needs.
🎓
FAPE — More Than Minimal
Since Endrew F. v. Douglas County (2017), the Supreme Court has been clear: "merely more than de minimis" progress is not enough. Services must be "appropriately ambitious" for your child.
🏫
LRE — Least Restrictive Environment
Your child must be educated alongside non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate. Removing them from general education requires specific written justification.
📬
Prior Written Notice
Before the district changes (or refuses to change) anything in your child's IEP, they must give you written notice with 7 required components. SENTINEL checks every one.
👥
You Are an Equal Team Member
Under IDEA, parents are full members of the IEP team — not guests. You have the right to participate meaningfully in every decision made about your child's education.
⚖️
Dispute Resolution
If you disagree with the district, you have formal options: mediation, state complaint, and due process hearing. SENTINEL's meeting records can support each of these paths.
Recording consent laws
Know your state's rules before you record.
SENTINEL listens to your meetings. Recording laws vary by state — some require only your own consent, others require everyone's. SENTINEL will ask you to confirm your state's law before every session and log your acknowledgment.
It is your responsibility to know and follow your state's recording consent law. When in doubt, simply inform the district at the start of the meeting that you are recording — many parents do this routinely.
Consent Type
What It Means
Example States
One-Party
You are in the conversation, so you can record it.
NY, TX, OH, GA, and ~34 others
All-Party
Everyone in the room must consent to being recorded.
CA, FL, IL, PA, WA, MI and others
This table is general information. Laws change and vary by circumstance. Verify your state's current law or consult an attorney.
Your privacy
Your child's records stay on your device.
IEP records, evaluations, and meeting audio contain some of the most sensitive information about your child. We designed SENTINEL around a simple principle: what happens on your laptop stays on your laptop.
What SENTINEL does with your data
Offline mode: All audio, transcription, document processing, and AI analysis runs entirely on your device. Nothing is transmitted anywhere. Ever.
Cloud mode (paid plans): The text of spoken meeting segments — not the raw audio, not your documents — is sent to our secure AI backend for analysis. Your child's name and identifying information are stripped before transmission. Documents are never stored on our servers.
Waitlist sign-up: We collect your email address to notify you of updates. We do not sell or share your email with third parties. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Important — Not Legal Advice
SENTINEL·IEP provides general legal information based on federal special education law for educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws vary by state, and individual circumstances differ widely. Always consult a qualified special education attorney or your regional Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) for advice specific to your situation. SENTINEL is a tool to help you ask better questions — not to answer the final ones.
Knowledge is your strongest asset in any IEP meeting.
Join the waitlist and be ready before your next meeting.
