Partners
Parents have a number of key partners to assist them with special education issues.
The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) Early Intervention program focuses its support on two distinct age groups: birth to age 3 and ages 3 to 5. The former is funded by the Department of Public Welfare, while the latter is funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The Early Intervention program is part of the statewide system that provides training and technical assistance to early intervention providers, school districts, parents, educators, and MAWA agencies across Pennsylvania. The PaTTAN early intervention web page provides a good overview of early intervention issues.
There is a program in place, called Intensive Interagency, that provides intensive coordination among state agencies to help resolve certain special education issues. The program is available when there is a student with a disability whose school district has determined that he or she cannot be appropriately educated in a public educational setting, and who has waited more than 30 days for an appropriate educational placement. This program also assists if there are students who are at substantial risk of waiting more than 30 days for an appropriate educational placement.
The Office for Dispute Resolution (ODR) coordinates and manages Pennsylvania's special education mediation and due process systems. ODR also provides help concerning procedural safeguards to parents, advocates, school districts, charter schools, and intermediate units. To access information about these services you may contact the Office for Dispute Resolution at: 1-800-992-4334 or 1-800-222-3353.
ODR also manages the Special Education ConsultLine. The ConsultLine is a help line for families and advocates of children with special education needs who are seeking accurate information about the special education regulations, process, and rights. In addition to the partners above, a wealth of specialized information is available at: