Westchester Special Education Impartial Hearing Lawyer

New York Special Education Impartial Hearings

You want your child to have access to an individualized and appropriate education: an education equipped to handle his or her special needs. If you are unable to negotiate a free and appropriate education with your school district, you will have to take your case to a special education impartial hearing.

The special education impartial hearing is important because it makes a record for your appeal and any kind of review that may be done in a federal court. An impartial hearing is a less formal, trial-like procedure that will include a hearing officer, witnesses who give testimony under oath, a court reporter, your lawyer and a lawyer for the school district, and exhibits that are authenticated and entered into evidence. To learn more about this process and how we can help you, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

Appeals and Other Services

You can appeal a decision made by an Impartial Hearing Officer (IHO), and that appeal is taken to a State Review Officer (SRO). Once the SRO has rendered an opinion on behalf of the Education Commissioner against you and your special needs child, you have the right to file a lawsuit in federal court to obtain de novo review. Our firm handles all legal matters related to tuition reimbursement, including:

• Impartial hearings (an administrative law hearing)
• Appeals to the Commissioner of Education
• De novo review in federal court

For all impartial hearings our attorneys work with a wide range of experts, including but not limited to psychologists and educational evaluators. We always try to use experts that have experience testifying and can back their reports in court.

Parents also play an important role in obtaining their child's free and appropriate education. We work closely with parents to get answers that we cannot get from a school report or information that may not always be provided by the New York State Education Department. Parents are an integral part of our team, and we rely on their unique knowledge about their child's needs.

Contact Us

With so many legal levels these cases can get complicated quickly, but you do not have to go through this on your own. With offices in Katonah, we help families with special needs throughout Westchester County, New York, Putnam County, New York, and Fairfield County, Connecticut. We can help you through the entire process of obtaining a free and appropriate education. Contact us via e-mail or call us at 914-232-2242 or 888-314-0722 today for more information.