Prepare for Due Process by Tapping into the Training Provided to Hearing Officers

Did state hearing officers receive training related to COVID and/or compensatory or “recovery” services?

Can a hearing officer force a family to meet in person, rather than virtually, even though the family and/or witnesses fall into the category of at-risk? For example, maybe the mother is receiving chemotherapy and can’t risk meeting in person.

Do they receive updates related to special education, outside of the law?

Can their training help parents prepare for due process?

These are just a few of the questions running through my mind when I submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for “all of the training materials that VDOE provides to hearing officers, as well anything else related to their training.”

While you might not live in Virginia, the documents provide case law examples you might be able to use in your own case—all organized under various topics, making them a good place to start if you’re looking for case-law examples.

Also interesting is the progression of a case like Endrew F., which appears year after year in the training documents, with new information added each year.