Research


Scope and Content Note

This series consists of the Office of Special Education Services' copy of the hearing officer's finding of fact and his/her decision on cases regarding a special needs child's IEP. Although the decisions do not identify the student or parents, they do name the school district. The findings of fact detail the positions of the child's parents and of the school system . In addition, until 1990, the series also includes a summary form listing school district name; date of request for the hearing; whether the hearing was requested by the school or the parents; the date of the hearing; the nature of the child's disability; the issue(s) in dispute; and a brief summary of the decision. The findings often refer to attachments or other documents which are not filed with the decisions.

The majority of these decisions come from the New York City Board of Education's Impartial Hearing Office. Until 1990, hearings that took place in New York City were physically filed separately from those in counties outside New York City, although the decisions carry a single numerical sequence. Not all decisions noted in the logbooks are present in the series. In some cases a whole year's decisions are missing.