Special Education Due Process Hearings in Illinois

Abstract

This report analyzes the 314 due process hearings held in Illinois during 1978, 1979, and the first three months of 1980, and the 95 state-level appeals from the hearing officer decisions within these 314 cases. Data were obtained from photocopies of the hearing officer's decisions and the Illinois State Board of Education's (ISBE) appeal rulings provided by the ISBE after all identifying information had been deleted. Data are analyzed and reported by handicapping condition and the issue involved in the hearings. Hearing officer decisions are reported in terms of which party to the hearing was upheld. The analysis of state-level reviews similarly examines the proportion of appeals that upheld the hearing officer's decision or made a different decision. The time involved between certain steps in the process and the cost of the local hearing are discussed, and suggestions for improving due process procedures are offered.