Office For Dispute Resolution

Office For Dispute Resolution (ODR) provides the resources for parents and educational agencies to resolve disputes concerning the identification, evaluation, educational placement, or the provision of a free appropriate public education for students with disabilities, students who are gifted and children with disabilities served by the early intervention system.The Office for Dispute Resolution (ODR), funded through the Pennsylvania Department of Education, is responsible for the operation and management of Pennsylvania's Special Education and Gifted Education Dispute Resolution System. Through a variety of services, ODR provides to parents of gifted children, children with special needs, and the educational agencies which serve them, opportunities to resolve educational disputes through the following mechanisms,ConsultLine is a toll free help line for the special education questions and concerns. ConsultLine advisors will answer questions and provide information about special education programs and the laws governing these programs for parents of and advocates for children with disabilities, or those who are thought to be disabled. IEP facilitation is a voluntary process that can be utilized when all parties to the IEP meeting agree that the presence of a neutral third party would facilitate communication and the successful drafting of the student's IEP. Mediation helps to establish a positive relationship between parents and school personnel through collaborative problem solving under the guidance of a trained mediator. Due process hearings are formal, quasi-judicial forums in which parties to an educational dispute present arguments and evidence to a hearing officer. Upon request ODR provides training to interested groups on strategies to prevent conflict from occurring, along with mechanisms for resolving conflict through mediation skills. ODR provides speakers to interested groups on the services provided by the office and general information on dispute resolution mechanisms.