Archer Report - temporary version |
*Copyright 2002 by Melanie Archer. Due process decisions in Illinois are publiclyPlease direct questions or comments to [email protected].
available on the Illinois State Board of Education website (www.isbe.state.il.us). The
determination of whether a parent or district prevailed in a hearing is based on the
judgment of those who collected the data for this study. I would like to thank Charles Fox
for giving me the opportunity to work on this project. Michael O’Connor provided many
useful suggestions regarding this research as well as access to information about the due
process system in Illinois and nationally. Matthew D. Cohen, Charles Fox, Jennifer
Bollero, Jeri Cohen, Rob Cohen, Doug Dobmeyer, Sara Mauk, Michael O’Connor, Teri
Rymer, Mary Schwartz, Frank Stepnowski, Courtney Stillman, Charles Stone, Wallace
Winter, and Debra Wysong participated in the data collection for this study and offered
helpful suggestions and support throughout this research. Bobbie Reguly at ISBE
provided timely assistance with questions regarding due process hearings in Illinois. Any
errors are the responsibility of the author and those who collected the data for this study.
Numerous parents, teachers and school administrators complained duringThe President’s Commission Report’s frequent references to conflict and
the Commission’s public sessions about the excessive focus on due
process hearings and litigation over special education disputes. Disputes
of all sorts divert parent and school time and money, and waste valuable
resources and energy that could otherwise be used to educate children with
disabilities . . . .
These threats create an adversarial atmosphere that severely limits the
ability of parents and schools to cooperate . . .. The threat of litigation
alone has costs for teachers, students and taxpayers . . .. these costs and the
dissatisfaction with the system merit serious reform (U.S. Department of
Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, 2002,
p. 40).