SPECIAL EDUCATION HEARING OFFICER
DECISION
Child’s Name: KL
Date of Birth: xx/xx/xx
Date(s) of Hearing: November 5, 2007, December 10, 2007, December 11, 2007, January 24, 2008, January 28, 2008, April 16, 2008*
CLOSED HEARING
ODR NO. 8128/07-08AS
Parents
Mr. and Mrs.
School District:
Shaler Area School District 1800 Mt. Royal Blvd. Glenshaw, PA 15116
Parents’ Representative:
Jeffrey Ruder, Esq.
710 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2600 Pittsburgh, PA 15219
District Representative:
Christina Lane, Esq.
Andrews & Price
1500 Ardmore Blvd., Suite 506 Pittsburgh, PA 15221
Date Record Closed: May 20, 2008
Date of Decision: June 28, 2008**
Hearing Officer: Margaret Drayden, Esq.
*Parties waived the 45-day time period.
**Decision was delayed due to a medical emergency.
Précis
Student is a teen age student in the Shaler Area School District (“District”). Student is identified as qualifying for special education due to needs in the areas of speech/language (“SL”), occupational therapy (“OT”), and developmental delays due to mental retardation (“MR”). After several years of receiving the majority of Student’s educational program in a learning support (“LS”) class, the District believes that Student needs the assistance of a blended program, including life skills. Parents disagree and believe that life skills is a more restricted educational environment.
Issue
1. Is the 8/8/07 proposed IEP appropriate and does it provide Student FAPE in the least restrictive environment?
KL-Shaler-Area-ODRNo-8128-07-08AS