Closed Courses -- In High School?

Since mid-July, I’ve been fielding phone calls from parents asking why their children, who are enrolled in small and medium size Iowa public school districts, have been unable, for two or more years, to enroll in courses at their high schools that are state-required for graduation.  They ask, “If these courses are required, how can they be closed?”

Many of these parents are shocked when I explain that although the Iowa Administrative Code sets out the specific course credits that students must complete to earn a diploma, Iowa Law does NOT require public high schools to offer more than one section of those courses per school year.

   

Students in Iowa’s large school districts generally encounter few, if any, scheduling problems that interfere with completion of required graduation credits.  However, in order to complete their required accredited graduation credits, some students in some small and medium districts must enroll in online (“distance learning”) courses (see e.g., http://www.kirkwood.edu/distancelearning ), or to enroll in courses offered at regional centers (see, e.g., Linn County Regional Center, at http://www.kirkwood.edu/linnacademies ). In regard to the second option, on the condition that students pass such courses, some school districts underwrite the cost of tuition and transportation. 

Iowa Code § 275.1 requires the state’s area education agency boards to develop detailed studies and surveys of the school districts within their respective areas for the purpose of providing for reorganization of school districts in order to effect more economical operation and the attainment of higher standards of education in the schools.   If those agencies are not doing so now, as a part of their duties under Iowa Code § 275.1(2), they should be investigating the extent to which school districts are  restricting the number of seats available annually in core graduation courses. 

The experience of taking courses online or at regional centers is not equivalent to taking the same courses in a high school.  Students taking courses that originate beyond their school districts are burdened with a host of logistical,  adjustment, and sometimes economic issues, that include, but are not limited to:  additional registration requirements, different and additional requirements of online or regional center instructors, a possible lack at home of a computer and Internet connection sufficient to work on courses at home, a lack of available computers at the school to work on online courses during school hours, and a loss of significant amounts of time spent riding buses or otherwise commuting to and from a regional center site (often returning after dark).   

And if this isn't difficult enough, in the context of these courses, what happens to the provision of accommodations and services required by some students’ IEPs and 504 plans?  

Special Education Due Process Hearings Part 3: What Happens at the Hearing?

Special education due process hearings are formal administrative hearings, and have many features similar to that of trial proceedings. In Iowa and the majority of states that have one-tiered due process systems, an administrative law judge (ALJ) presides over the hearing. There is no jury. Although the law allows parents to represent themselves in due process proceedings, given the legal nature of the proceedings, most are represented by attorneys.

The parent(s) and public agencies whose names appear in the caption at the top of the due process complaint are called the "parties." If the parent files the complaint, then he or she is called the "complainant" and the school district, area education agency, and any other public education agency named are the "respondents." The complainant is the party who must carry the burden of proof on one or more issues of the case in order to prevail.

Prior to the hearing, the IDEA provides parents with the right to decide whether or not the hearing will be open to the public.

The hearing begins when the ALJ enters the hearing room and announces that the hearing is in session. It’s important to remember that whenever the ALJ enters or exits the hearing room, the parties, their attorneys, and all persons attending the hearing must rise and remain quietly standing until the ALJ is seated or has departed the room.

Due process hearings are stenographically recorded by a court reporter so that there is an official transcript of the testimony given during the proceedings. In order for the court reporter to make an accurate record of the proceedings, it is important that all witnesses and attorneys speak clearly, refrain from interrupting, and avoid using nonverbal responses instead of "yes" and "no."

After the ALJ has convened the hearing, he or she will give the complainant’s attorney an opportunity to give an opening statement. An opening statement generally includes an overview of the evidence that is expected to be presented. After the complainant’s attorney has finished, the ALJ will provide the same opportunity to the attorney or attorneys for the Respondents. In some cases, the ALJ will allow the respondents’ attorney to delay the opening statement until after the complainant’s attorney has finished presenting evidence, and it is the respondents’ turn to present their evidence.

After the opening statements, the ALJ directs the complainant’s attorney to present his or her client’s case. The complainant’s attorney can only raise the issues that were stated in the due process complaint filed with the state department of education, unless the other party agrees otherwise. During the hearing, each party has the opportunity to present their views using witnesses, testimony, documents, and legal arguments that each believes is important for the ALJ to consider in order to decide the issues in the case. Parties generally present evidence by calling witnesses and asking questions.

In presenting evidence, each party must abide by the state’s Rules of Evidence which govern what evidence is admissible, and how it is presented. If the attorney for one of the parties believes the other party is not following the rules, he or she may raise an objection. The ALJ will then either sustain or overrule the objection, or defer a ruling until a later time.

The complainant’s attorney examines (i.e., questions) his or her witnesses and evidence first. After he or she has examined a witness, the respondents’ attorney has the opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses. When the complainant’s attorney has finished putting on witnesses, then it is the respondents’ attorney’s turn to present their case. As before, after the respondents’ attorney has finished examining his or her witnesses, the Complainant’s attorney has the right to cross-examine them.

Once the parties have completed examining the witnesses, the ALJ provides each party’s attorney with an opportunity to make closing arguments. Closing arguments must be based upon the evidence produced in trial. At the close of the hearing, the ALJ may ask the attorneys to submit post-hearing briefs which set out the facts and points of law of their clients’ cases. After the hearing, at no cost to the parent, the parent’s attorney receives a transcript of the hearing.

The ALJ’s written decision of the ALJ is later issued and copies are immediately sent to the parties. The ALJ must make a decision on substantive grounds based on a determination of whether the child received a free appropriate public education (FAPE). In matters alleging a procedural violation, an ALJ may find that a child did not receive a FAPE only if the procedural inadequacies:

1. Impeded the child’s right to a FAPE;
2. Significantly impeded the parent’s opportunity to participate in the decision-making process regarding the provision of a FAPE to the child; or
3. Caused a deprivation of educational benefit.

The next in this series of articles will address matter of what a parent may do if he or she disagrees with the ALJ’s decision.

Special Education Due Process Hearings, Part 2: What Happens After a Due Process Complaint is Filed?

This is the second in a series of articles describing special education due process hearings and procedures.

The regulations for Part B of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and state special education regulations which govern special education due process procedures and hearings set forth a series of deadlines that apply to the parties (the parent, school district, area education agency and other public education agency named in the complaint). The "clock" starts when the parent or the parent’s attorney files the due process complaint with the state department of education and serves it on the school district and other named parties. The process described below reflects the time lines and procedures used in Iowa.

Determining the "Sufficiency" of the Complaint
 
Within five days after the complaint is filed, the administrative law judge must decide whether or not the complaint is "sufficient" and must immediately notify the parties in writing of that decision. The sufficiency of the complaint is determined on the basis of whether the complaint contains the required information and the dispute described is one for which the law may provide a remedy. A complaint which alleges that a child is not receiving a free appropriate public education (FAPE) because she needs more or different special education services is likely to be deemed sufficient, whereas a complaint which alleges that a public school district is not providing a FAPE because it hasn’t adopted the Peters Projection map of the world.

After the ALJ has deemed a complaint to be sufficient, the parties may gather information and evidence from each other through the use of "discovery procedures." These procedures have their own requirements and deadlines, and described in detail in each state’s Rules of Civil Procedure. 

School District's Answer to the Complaint

Within 10 calendar days after receiving the Complaint, the school district, area education agency, and any other public education agency named in the Complaint must file with the state department of education and provide a copy to the parents, a written Answer specifically addressing the issues stated in the Complaint.

Prior Written Notice to the Parent

Within 10 calendar days of receiving the complaint, if the school district has not sent Prior Written Notice to the parents concerning the subject of the complaint, they must send the parents a response providing:

• An explanation of why the school proposed or refused to take the action addressed in the due process complaint;

• A description of other options that the school district considered and the reasons why those options were rejected;

• A description of each evaluation procedure, assessment, record, or report the school district used as the basis for the proposed or refused action; and

• A description of the other factors that are relevant to the school district’s proposed or refused action.

The 30 Day "Resolution Period"

A 30-calendar day "Resolution Period" begins when the school district, area education agency, and the Iowa Department of Education all receive the due process hearing request.

Resolution Meeting

Within 15 calendar days of receiving the Complaint, the school district must convene a Resolution Meeting with the parent and members of the IEP Team unless the school district, and parent agree in writing to waive the meeting. If all the parties do not waive the meeting, then the parent must attend it. If the parent does not attend, the ALJ may dismiss the parent’s Complaint.
If the district fails to hold the resolution meeting within 15 calendar days of receiving notice of your due process hearing request, OR fails to participate in the resolution meeting, the parent may ask the ALJ to order that the 45-calendar day due process hearing time line begin.

Within 45 calendar days after the 30-day resolution period:

If the dispute is not resolved during the 30-day resolution period, the state department of education must ensure that a due process hearing has been completed in no more than 45 days, unless a party asks the ALJ for, and the ALJ chooses to grant an extension.


Deadline for Disclosures

At least five business days prior to the hearing, all of the parties are required to have disclosed to each other all evaluations completed by that date and the recommendations based on those evaluations that they intend to use at the hearing. An ALJ may prevent any party that fails to comply with this requirement from introducing the relevant evaluation or recommendation at the hearing without the consent of the other parties.