The following series of events led to the need for this Handbook. The federal special education law was changed in 1997, and new federal regulations went into effect in 1999. The Massachusetts Legislature also changed Massachusetts' own special education law in 2000, and these changes are being phased in this year. Finally, the Massachusetts Department of Education issued new special education regulations which became effective in January, 2001. The Massachusetts regulations direct readers to the federal statute and regulations as well as the new state statute.
As a result of the above changes, the maze of special education has become very difficult to navigate without a guide. This Handbook endeavors to be that guide. It is written sequentially so that it progresses in the same way that a child would enter and move through the special education process. After an Overview section, the Handbook discusses Eligibility, Evaluation, TEAM Process, IEPs, Services, Placements, Discipline, and Dispute Resolution.
There are references to federal and state statutes and regulations throughout so that a reader may go to the precise source of the information if so desired. In determining whether to reference federal or state statutes or regulations, an effort was made to determine which of these sources would be most controlling, helpful and clear for parents.
Dan Ahearn is an educator and attorney. He works
in the education field at the Landmark School, which specializes in teaching
students with language based learning disabilities, where he directs the
Landmark Outreach Program. He also practices disability, special education,
education, and children's law. He has been practicing in these areas for
over 15 years. He currently teaches a Children's Law course at Suffolk
University Law School; teaches legal research and writing in the First
Year Writing Program at the Boston University School of Law; and counsels
law students in the Harvard Law School's Office of Public Interest Advising.
He was the past Director of the Massachusetts Bureau of Special Education
Appeals and served as a Senior Attorney at the Disability Law Center in
Boston. He is on the Board of Directors of the Learning Disabilities Network
and is a Fellow of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation.
