Mediation is now offered, free of charge, by the state when a parent requests it and the parent and district both agree to mediate.
A list of “mediators” is provided for the district and parent to agree upon a selection. During this process a couple weeks passed since the district was slow…hmmm.
Then the selected mediator’s schedule caused another delay of a couple weeks.
The mediation lasted over three hours but much of that time was spent in our own “caucus” room deciding how to proceed.
The parent was well prepared and had diagrams/comparisons illustrating what the child needed and what the district was offering prior to mediation.
The mediator was skilled at framing the issues. The district seemed to have great respect for her and the process. The outcome in this instance was favorable for the student. The parents avoided due process.
I would consider assisting parents in this school district again with mediation.
