PENNSYLVANIA
SPECIAL EDUCATION HEARING OFFICER
DECISION
DUE PROCESS HEARING
Name of Child: P.M.
ODR #13990/12-13 AS
Date of Birth:
[redacted]
Date of Hearing: August 2, 2013
CLOSED HEARING
Parties to the Hearing: Parents
Centennial School District 433 Centennial Road Warminster, PA 18974
Representative: Pro Se
Anne Hendricks, Esquire
1301 Masons Mill Business Park 1800 Byberry Road
Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006
Date Record Closed: August 7, 2013
Date of Decision: August 19, 2013
Hearing Officer: Linda M. Valentini, Psy.D., CHO Certified Hearing Official
Background
Student1 is an early teen-aged student who just finished 7th grade in one of the District’s middle schools. Student is eligible for special education pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA] under the classifications of Emotional Disturbance and Specific Learning Disability [Math], and consequently is a protected handicapped individual under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 [Section 504], as well as the federal and state regulations implementing those statutes.
The District has determined that Student requires placement in an out-of-district Approved Private School [APS] to receive a free appropriate public education [FAPE]. The Parent2 maintains that the Student should remain in the District’s school and that an APS is not an appropriate placement.
For the reasons below, I find for the Parent.
Issue
What is the appropriate placement for Student at this time?
P-M-Centennial-ODRNo-13990-12-13-AS