PENNSYLVANIA
SPECIAL EDUCATION HEARING OFFICER
DECISION
DUE PROCESS HEARING
Name of Child: A.B.
ODR #18698 / 16-17-KE
Date of Birth: [redacted]
Dates of Hearing: March 21, 2017 April 17, 2017
CLOSED HEARING
Parties to the Hearing: Parent[s]
Great Valley School District 47 Church Road
Malvern, PA 19355
Representative:
Pro Se – Did not appear
David Painter, Esquire
Sweet, Stevens, Katz and Williams 331 East Butler Avenue
New Britain, PA 18901
Date of Decision: April 20, 2017
Hearing Officer: Linda M. Valentini, Psy.D. CHO Certified Hearing Official
Background
Student1 is a mid-teen aged District resident who is eligible for special education under the classifications of autism and intellectual disability. The parties have a history of disagreements about Student’s educational programming. Because the District and the Parent have reached an impasse as to Student’s program and placement the District requested this hearing, seeking an order from the hearing officer that its IEP last offered on November 2, 2016 is appropriate. The Parent maintains that the IEP does not offer Student a free appropriate public education (FAPE). For the reasons below I find for the District.
Issue
Did the District offer Student a free appropriate public education for the 2016-2017 school year through its IEP first proposed on September 6, 2016, revised on October 14, 2016, and last proposed on November 2, 2016?
A-B-Great-Valley-ODRNo-18698-16-17-KE