The Law Office of Lillian E. Wong
A Massachusetts Special Education Attorney

The Massachusetts Bureau of Special Education Appeals has released its statistics for 2009.  The statistics reveal that most disputes with school districts result in a resolution long before a hearing decision is issued, and if the dispute reaches the hearing stage the school district is likely to prevail.  846 cases voluntarily participated in mediation and 84.5% ended in a legally binding agreement.  609 parities requested hearings, but the vast majority were resolved before a decision was issued.  Only 48 hearing decisions were issued and the school district prevailed outright in 75% of the time, the parents only prevailed 12.5%, and 10.5% of the time mixed relief was granted. 

See the complete report here.

If you need help advocating for your child's special education rights, contact the Boston area law office of Massachusetts special education lawyer Lillian E. Wong.

Parents and advocates are often too quick to view teachers as the opposition instead of the child's greatest potential ally.   Teachers in Dedham demonstrated their commitment to educating students when they filed a complaint with the Department of Education against their Superintendent for her failure to implement thirteen childrens' IEPs.

See the complete Boston Globe story here.

The school district has agreed to provide the children with compensatory education.  Compensatory education is a legal term used to describe future educational services awarded to disabled students for the school district's failure to provide a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE) in the past.

If you need help advocating for your child's special education rights, contact the Boston area law office of Massachusetts special education lawyer Lillian E. Wong.