Parent Workshop: Resolving Special Education Disputes

Resolving Special Education DisputesThis workshop equips parents of students with IEPs or 504 plans to navigate disagreements with their school districts—while keeping the focus where it belongs: on their child’s needs. We’ll clarify the difference between substantive violations that affect a student’s education and minor procedural errors that may not rise to the level of a legal claim. Parents will gain practical strategies for building a strong record, including how to track progress, document concerns, and collaborate with independent evaluators and observers. Finally, we’ll walk through the full range of dispute resolution options, from the most collaborative to the most formal—team meetings (with or without a facilitator), mediation, filing complaints through the Problem Resolution System (PRS) at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, filing complaints with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and pursuing due process hearings before the Bureau of Special Education Appeals (BSEA).

Academy MetroWest (academymetrowest.com) presents Kimberly Winslow, a special education attorney (https://massieplawyer.com/) who exclusively represents students with diagnosed and suspected disabilities across Massachusetts. She helps families secure the services and supports their children need under state and federal law, from preschool through high school or until eligibility ends at age 22. Kimberly works collaboratively with schools whenever possible, and has successfully secured appropriate programs and services, compensatory education, out-of-district placements, and in-home support. A graduate of Suffolk University Law School, she is a member of Massachusetts Attorneys for Special Education Rights (MASER), the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), and the Special Needs Advocacy Network (SPAN), volunteers as a Special Education Surrogate Parent for children in state custody, and is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Kimberly is also the proud parent of two neurodivergent teens.

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