From The 74:
“…For decades, the federal government has been a key avenue of relief for parents unable to get services for their children through complaints filed with their state, mediation, administrative hearings or due process cases. Now, with the [federal Education] department lurching toward closure, state-level officials may increasingly have the final word.
…Families, or school administrators seeking help in resolving a disagreement, can file a complaint with their state in hopes that education officials will intervene if they find a district’s efforts lacking or improper.
…Colleen Potts, supervising attorney for Disability Rights Texas, says the organization’s lawyers now see state complaints as the most effective way to get quick relief for students and families.
‘I’ve been doing this for 19 years, and the last two or three years we are getting consistently good outcomes in non-adversarial “meeting of the minds” meetings, with resolutions that are acceptable to everyone,’ she says.
Indeed, districts often are quick to try to resolve disagreements before the state investigates. Potts encourages the attorneys she works with to list proposed remedies in their complaints even if they aren’t things a state typically requires a lagging district to do.
In practical terms, this document can serve as a road map to getting a child’s needs met, she explains: ‘Anything is on the table.’ ”
Read the full article on The 74.