United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2003-09-09 monographic deposited born digital 36 p. GA 1.13:GAO-03-897 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-897 P0b002ee18037cc5c f:d03897 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-897 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-897 GAO-03-897 Children with disabilities Elementary schools Hearings Parents Secondary schools Special education Students Dispute resolution Mediation services California Massachusetts Ohio Texas Other Written Product A08347 In the 2001-02 school year, about 6.5 million children aged 3 through 21 received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). On occasion, parents and schools disagree about what kinds of special services, if any, are needed for children and how they should be provided. Conflicts between school officials and families sometimes become costly, both financially and in terms of the harm done to relationships. As requested, GAO determined the kinds of issues that result in formal disputes, the extent to which the three formal mechanisms (due process hearings, mediations, and state complaints) are employed for resolution, the role of mediation and other alternative dispute resolution strategies in selected locations, and whether local education agencies received adequate and timely complaint notifications from states. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed available national data and conducted site visits to state and local education agencies in four states--California, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Texas. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-897/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-897.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-897/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-897.pdf GAO-03-897 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-897 Other Written Product GAO-03-897; Special Education: Numbers of Formal Disputes Are Generally Low and States Are Using Mediation and Other Strategies to Resolve Conflicts; Children with disabilities Elementary schools Hearings Parents Secondary schools Special education Students Dispute resolution Mediation services California Massachusetts Ohio Texas