Policy/Procedures
- Upon receipt of a due process request from a parent, the ODR Case Manager will contact the school and parent to explain and offer Resolution Meeting Facilitation.
- If either the school or parent requests a facilitator, the ODR Case Manager will contact the other party for agreement.
- The school and parent are responsible for scheduling the Resolution Meeting.
- Once the Resolution Meeting has been scheduled between the school and parent, the ODR Case Manager will assign a facilitator to attend at the time and place determined by the school and parent. This date will be within the first 30 days after a due process request has been made.
- Facilitators will be taken from the current ODR pool of IEP Facilitators.
- There will be no cost to schools or parents for the use of a facilitator at the Resolution Meeting.
- At the Resolution Meeting, the facilitator will ask the parties to sign a form that shows their agreement to the presence of a facilitator.
- Any agreement reached is between the parent and the school – the facilitator is not a party to any agreement.
- If the Resolution Meeting is successful and all issues are resolved, the requesting party will notify the Hearing Officer that agreement has been reached.
- If the Resolution Meeting is not successful, the due process will move forward.
- All parties will be asked to complete and return to ODR an evaluation form.
- The facilitator will not serve as a witness in any subsequent actions.
Personnel
The Facilitator:
- Helps the parties focus on the student’s needs
- May, with the agreement of all parties, help create an overall agenda and assist in generating ground rules for the meeting
- Assists the parties to resolve conflicts and disagreements that arise during the meeting
- Helps to maintain open communication among all parties
- Models effective communication and listening
- Helps to keep parties on task and within the time allotted for the meeting
- Maintains impartiality and does not take sides, place blame or determine if a particular decision is right or wrong
- Clarifies points of agreement and disagreement
- Ensures that the meeting is student-focused
- Does not impose a decision on the group
Forms/Letter Templates
Miscellaneous
A Facilitation:
- Builds and improves relationships between parents and schools
- Provides opportunities for parties to resolve conflicts if they arise
- Encourages parents and professionals to i more/lessdentify new options to address unresolved problems
- Is typically a less stressful mechanism for resolving disputes than a due process hearing
- Supports all parties in participating fully
- Provides an opportunity to resolve issues which could negate the need to move forward with due process
Availability/Accessing Services
Either the parent or school personnel (local education agency) can request Resolution Meeting Facilitation (RMF). However, both sides must agree to include a facilitator at the Resolution Meeting, because it is a voluntary process.
When parents and educators agree on the date, time and place for the Resolution Meeting, and have agreed to use a facilitator, ODR can be contacted. When a request for RMF is received, ODR assigns a facilitator to attend the meeting. At the meeting, the facilitator asks all parties to sign forms to show their agreement to the presence of the facilitator.
There is no charge to either party – parents or educators – for the use of the Resolution Meeting facilitator. RMF is free for IDEA-related cases.
Materials/Activities
nformational video:
http://odr-pa.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/Resolution-Meeting-Facilitation...