Here and Now: Child Find Updated
Since we last covered child find several years ago, California has seen a significant spike in due process hearings alleging that districts have failed to carry out their obligation to identify, locate and evaluate children with disabilities. This session takes a fresh look at the scope of child find responsibilities through an overview of statutes, regulations, key new decisions and official guidance. Through recent case examples, we’ll cover events that can trigger the duty to assess, the potential consequences of failing to meet child find requirements, and much more.
Spotlight on Practice: Ensuring a “Clear Written Offer” of FAPE
Back in 1994, the Ninth Circuit ruled that a school district must make a formal written offer in the IEP that identifies the student’s proposed placement in a manner that is clear enough to permit parents to make an intelligent decision whether to agree or disagree. Now, 30 years later, courts and OAH continue to wrestle with what constitutes a “clear written offer.” In this session, we examine—through several case examples—the numerous and varied issues that can pose problems for districts when IEPs are called into question for being less than sufficiently clear. We also provide valuable practical pointers for IEP teams in drafting and designing legally compliant documents.
Legal Update
This highly popular session provides an overview of the most important recent cases from OAH and the courts—and why they matter to special educators. We also highlight new guidance from the U.S. Department of Education on relevant topics. And, of course, we will provide any late-breaking legal developments related to proposed and enacted legislation and regulations.
Targeting Questions and Answers
To wrap up the day, F3 special education attorneys field your inquiries on a variety of topics in an expanded Q&A session.