Special Education Complaint Investigation Specialist

Special Education Complaint Investigation Specialist William Capron Providence, RI Job Details Full-time $62,449 - $90,500 a year 1 day ago Qualifications Legal correspondence preparation Investigations regulatory compliance Overseeing educational regulatory compliance School policy development Educational dispute resolution Mid-level Special education law Internal investigations Phone call screening School legal knowledge Compliance documentation Interdisciplinary policy and procedure development Internal compliance assessments Investigative reports Educational compliance and regulation understanding Investigating compliance violations Policy Development Disability rights laws

Full Job Description Purpose of Position/Summary:

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that the state education agency (SEA) have a state complaint system in place as part of the SEAs federally mandated general supervision requirement. The Dispute Resolution Team within the Office of Student, Community, and Academic Supports within the Rhode Island Department of Education, is responsible for ensuring that parents, schools, and interested parties are provided with the full range of special education dispute resolution options required by the IDEA. The complaint investigator is responsible for : (1) Investigating special education written state complaints; (2) preparing complaint reports and drafting findings letters; (3) assisting in the development of dispute resolution materials, (4) revision of policies and procedures to ensure that special education dispute resolution procedures for public schools, parents, and the department of education are consistent with federal and state regulations; and (5) facilitating the call center, logging calls, determining patterns/trends, and determining the appropriate follow-up.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

The position encompasses, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities: Processes state complaint, mediation, and due process requestsAssists with the implementation of the dispute resolution system, the development of necessary processes and procedures for investigating complaints, maintenance of documentation necessary for federal compliance, and other administrative functions necessary to carry out the state and federal requirementsReviews and analyzes special education state complaints and collaborates with a team to determine potential violations of federal and state special education laws and regulationsInvestigates complaints filed with the Department alleging violations of the requirements of the IDEAAs part of the investigation process, reviews and analyzes evidence, contacts both complainant and the local education agency, develops requests for information, and completes investigation reports following the standard language and procedures which include specific statements, findings of fact, conclusions, and corrective actions specific to each allegation within the required timelinesPrepares thorough, accurate, and timely complaint investigation reportsMonitors public, charter and state operated school and non-public special education schools for compliance with corrective action orders resulting from complaint investigations and for compliance with hearing decisionsAssists and collaborates on the development of written policies and procedures for complaint investigations, mediations, and due process hearingsMaintains a database and tracking system of special education complaints, mediations, and due process hearingsProvides parents, caregivers, LEAs and other stakeholders with the information and assistance they need to access and understand their dispute resolution optionsPromptly responds to and communicates via phone, email, and in writing ensuring that members of the public reaching the RIDE Special Education Call Center experience is timely, positive and helpful supportPromptly completes call logs with accurate caller informationProvides support to Department staff in preparation of materials or activities related to the Federal Office of Special education Programs (OSEP) pre-site and on-site compliance reviews and follow-up activitiesOther duties as assigned.