Disability Law Commons^™

The Outcomes Of Fully Adjudicated Impartial Hearings Under The Idea: A Nationally Representative Analysis With And Without New York, Perry A. Zirkel, Diane M. Holben

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides eligible students with the right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) as specified in an individualized education program (IEP). An unusual feature of the IDEA is providing the parents of students with disabilities and their school districts with the right to a binding “impartial due process hearing” at the administrative level, subject to appeal. This mechanism for administrative adjudication has been the subject of continuing policy debate and occasional statutory refinements. One of the ongoing concerns in this policy consideration has been the win-loss rate of due process hearings (DPHs). Similarly, …

Impartial Hearings Under The Idea: Updated Legal Issues And Answers, Perry A. Zirkel

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

This updated question-and-answer document is specific to impartial hearing officers (IHOs) and the hearings that they conduct under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The coverage does not extend to the alternate third-party dispute decisional mechanism under the IDEA, the complaint resolution process (CRP) except to the extent that this alternative mechanism intersects with IHO issues. Similarly, the scope only extends secondarily to the IHO’s remedial authority, which is the subject of separate comprehensive coverage. The sources are largely limited to the pertinent IDEA legislation and regulations, court decisions, and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education’s …

State Laws For Due Process Hearings Under The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Iv: Expedited Hearings, Andrew M.I. Lee, Perry A. Zirkel

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

This article is a follow-up to a triad of analyses of state law additions to the basic requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for due process hearings (DPHs). The former three articles covered the pre-hearing, hearing, and post-hearing stages of IDEA DPHs. The present article focuses on expedited DPHs, canvassing state law provisions specific to this more rapid, specialized proceeding in the IDEA. This article covers IDEA foundational requirements for expedited DPHs, and then summarizes and codes the state law provisions that supplement the federal template. Additionally, this article provides a discussion of federal preemption of state …

State Laws For Due Process Hearings Under The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Iii: The Pre-Hearing Stage, Andrew M.I. Lee, Perry A. Zirkel

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

This article is the third in a triad of analyses of state law additions to the basic requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for due process hearings (DPHs). The first two articles of this series covered the hearing and post-hearing stages of IDEA DPHs. The purpose of this follow-up analysis is to supplement the earlier articles by canvassing state law provisions specific to the pre-hearing stage. After an introduction and overview of the literature, this article covers IDEA foundational requirements for DPHs, and then summarizes and codes the state law provisions that supplement the federal template. As …

Impartial Hearings Under The Idea: Legal Issues And Answers, Perry A. Zirkel

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

No abstract provided.

State Laws For Due Process Hearings Under The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, Perry A. Zirkel

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

No abstract provided.

The Remedial Authority Of Hearing And Review Officers Under The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act: The Latest Update, Perry A. Zirkel

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

No abstract provided.

The Rowley Enigma: How Much Weight Is Due To Idea State Administrative Proceedings In Federal Court?, Daniel W. Morton-Bentley

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

In this article, I argue that the phrase "due weight" incorporates a deferential review standard equivalent to the clear error or substantial evidence standard, a conclusion reached by a minority of the circuit courts of appeal. I further argue that, consistent with Rowley, federal courts must afford due weight to administrative officers' substantive or educational conclusions, but no weight to their procedural or non-educational conclusions. Part II offers a general outline of the IDEA, giving special attention to its judicial review provisions. In Part III, I provide a general discussion of judicial review of administrative adjudication. Part IV is devoted …

Of Mouseholes And Elephants: The Statute Oflimitations For Impartial Hearings Under Theindividuals With Disabilities Education Act, Perry A. Zirkel

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

The purpose of this article, in light of the practical significance and the limited literature addressing the IDEA’s hearing level SOL, is to provide a current and concise overview of the case law addressing this specific issue. Part I provides the basic nature and purpose of SOL generally, and specifically how SOL applies to the IDEA’s impartial hearings. Parts II–IV addresses the elements of the SOL statutory provisions in terms of the triggering date, the exceptions, and the duration and effect of the SOL, including the importance of G.L. v. Ligonier Valley School District Authority. Part V provides practice pointers …

Has The Supreme Court’S Schaffer Decision Placed Aburden On Hearing Officer Decision-Making Under Theidea?, Cathy A. Skidmore, Perry A. Zirkel

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

This article provides a systematic examination of the BOP in hearing officer decisions both before and after Schaffer. Part II examines the legal basis for the BOP both before and after the U.S. Supreme Court decision, resulting in the questions for this study. Part III explains the method used to collect and analyze the data, and Part IV presents the results that answer the specific research questions. Part V discusses those results and the implications of the findings for special education dispute resolution and provides recommendations for further study.

An Idea For Special Education: Why The Idea Should Have Primacy Over The Ada In Adjudicating Education Claims For Students With Disabilities, Angela Estrella-Lemus

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

No abstract provided.

Are The Outcomes Of Hearing (And Review) Officer Decisions Different For Pro Se And Represented Parents?, Perry A. Zirkel

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides states with the option of having one or two tiers of administrative adjudication prior to the judicial level of dispute resolution. Although the numbers of states that have only a hearing officer level and those that additionally have a second tier, i.e., review officer level, have fluctuated, the net direction and overall balance has been clearly in favor of a one-tier system. Although originally established as a relatively informal and expedited means of adjudication in comparison to the courts, these administrative levels have become increasingly legalized. Given the costs of legal representation …

California Year In Review: 2013 Special Education Alj Decisions, Ruth Colker

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

This article reviews 74 special education cases decided by California ALJs between January 1, 2013 and December 11, 2013. The author concludes that the ALJs provided stingy relief even when students prevailed, there was often unsuccessful litigation on behalf of a student following the termination of a consent decree or court order, many of the cases reflected negative attitudes towards the mothers of the student, and school districts often preferred more restrictive placements than the parent/student. Not surprisingly, students faced very unfavorable outcomes when they were not represented by a lawyer.

Idea Class Actions After Wal-Mart V. Dukes, Mark C. Weber

Mark C. Weber

Wal-Mart v. Dukes overturned the certification of a class of a million and a half female employees alleging sex discrimination in Wal-Mart’s salary and promotion decisions. The Supreme Court ruled that the case did not satisfy the requirement that a class have a common question of law or fact, and said that the remedy sought was not the type of relief available under the portion of the class action rule permitting mandatory class actions. Over the last two years, courts have struggled with how to apply the ruling, especially how to apply it beyond its immediate context of employment discrimination …

Procedures And Remedies Under Section 504 And The Ada For Public School Children With Disabilities, Mark C. Weber

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

Much has been written about procedures and remedies under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, but few scholars have explored procedural rights and corresponding mechanisms of administrative and judicial relief for victims of public schools' violations of children's rights under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This paper will discuss the administrative procedures that must be followed in hearings regarding complaints of violations of those laws by public school districts and the relief that hearing officers and courts may provide. It will begin with an update on developments regarding …

The Helter Skelter World Of Idea Eligibility For Specific Learning Disability: The Clash Of Response-To-Intervention And Child Find Requirements, Torin D. Togut, Jennifer E. Nix

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

No abstract provided.

Disabled Students' Rights Of Access To Charter Schools Under The Idea, Section 504 And The Ada, Robert A. Garda Jr.

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

Charter schools are under increasing attack for denying admission to disabled students. But traditional schools also turn away disabled students, often preventing them from attending schools in their neighborhood or within their district. This Article discusses when a school is permitted under federal disability law to deny admission to a disabled student. After nearly four decades of special education jurisprudence and regulatory guidance, the circumstances under which a student with a disability may be denied admission to a particular school are still remarkably unclear. This Article first discusses the ‘zero-reject‘ principle underlying the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and concludes …

California Hearing Officer Decisions, Ruth Colker

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

No abstract provided.

Delineating Administrative Exhaustion Requirements And Establishing Federal Courts' Jurisdiction Under The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act: Lessons From The Case Law And Proposals For Congressional Action , Lewis M. Wasserman

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), enacted through Congress's Spending Clause Power, is the principal federal statute aimed at insuring that children with disabilities receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the nation's public schools. The Act has spawned a substantial and growing body of litigation between parents and local and state educational agencies in federal and state courts during the last decade. During this period nearly 20%-21% of these cases have addressed the issue of exhaustion of IDEA's administrative remedies, and the related concern about federal courts' jurisdiction, when the law's exhaustion requirements have not been satisfied. …

The Sanctioning Authority Of Hearing Officers In Special Education Cases, Salma A. Khaleq

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA or the Act), children with disabilities are entitled to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE). The Act provides a procedural safeguard for children and their parents seeking to challenge a state or local educational agency's educational plan for the child in the form of a due process hearing presided over by a hearing officer or an administrative law judge (ALJ). This article describes the current case law concerning the authority of ALJs to sanction parties and attorneys for misconduct during these special education proceedings. Due to the limited number of cases available …

Adequate Access Or Equal Treatment: Looking Beyond The Idea To Section 504 In A Post-Schaffer Public School, Christopher J. Walker

Christopher J. Walker

In light of the Supreme Court's decision this Term in Schaffer v. Weast, this Note analyzes the current state of special education law and argues that parents, attorneys, and advocates should look beyond the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to Section 504 in the post-Schaffer public school. This Note shows how these two standards operate in the context of state special schools for the blind and deaf. A state-by-state survey of thirty states' special school admission policies and practices reveals the IDEA's limitations and Section 504's potentially complementary role.

Although other works have briefly compared the IDEA and Section …