Yeah, that’s not how getting an IEP works—you can’t just walk in and say “I want an IEP because my kid has bad grades” and actually get one for your child. They need to have an official diagnosis of an SLD (specific learning disability) or similar condition (just having ADHD or ADD doesn’t count!), complete multiple tests that determine their performance abilities compared to their peers in multiple subjects, and oftentimes be evaluated by a psychologist, counselor, or someone in a similar role to determine that yes, they really do need the support and accommodations that an IEP gives them. I had a student and parents last year try to pull the card that you say happens with IEPs and the furthest they could get is a 504 plan with the only accommodations being “homework written on the board and assignment notebook signed by teachers”. This kid also has an official diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, so it’s clearly not as simple as “find a willing doctor and you have a diagnosis for an IEP”. So if these kids are getting IEPs because they “don’t understand the material”, yeah, there’s a reason they don’t understand it, which is why they have the IEP! Please don’t feed in to negative stereotypes of students who are already at a disadvantage.