Hearing Officer Rosa Figueroa's most recent decision, In Re: Student v. Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District – BSEA # 17-07353 & # 18-04291, is a page turner. The family comes across as highly-distrusting and the district as exceedingly accommodating. The most interesting sentence of the decision, however, is what Hearing Officer Figueroa says about parental rights:
“ A parent’s right to meaningful participation does not equate to micromanagement of a case to the point of stifling every process and impeding determinative decisions by those with the knowledge and experience to make them.”
The right to to parental participation in the IEP process is important, but it is not unlimited. It is important for parents to understand their role in the special education process and to accept the advise of experts that have the student's best interest in mind.