About Dispute Resolution

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) Office of Dispute Resolution provides several options for parents and Public Education Agencies (PEAs) to address and resolve special education conflicts: mediation (34 C.F.R. § 300.506); a due process hearing system (§ 300.507); and a state administrative complaint system through which ADE can investigate alleged procedural violations of the IDEA (§§ 300.151 through 153).

Dispute Resolution also offers Facilitated IEP as an additional option for resolving special education conflicts between parents and PEAs..

Parents and school staff are encouraged to communicate and work together to reach an agreement that is in the best interest of the child. Parents may also request in writing that the PEA reconvene the IEP team to discuss concerns.

Each PEA has a special education director or coordinator who can assist the IEP team in finding a mutual agreement if problems still exist. To find contact information for the special education director or coordinator, visit the ADE Public School Search and type the name of the PEA in the search bar on the left side of the screen.