Category Archives: BSEA Commentaries

New BSEA Commentaries Available!

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Each quarter, KCS attorneys provide the official commentary on BSEA rulings and decisions. The 4th quarter 2020 commentary, written by Daniel Heffernan, is now available and includes an analysis of the FY 2020 BSEA Statistics.  Please take a look! The 3rd quarter 2020 commentary, written by Eileen Hagerty, is also available and includes an analysis of a complex decision (Nashoba Public Schools) in which parents prevailed despite their district’s stubborn refusal to provide a residential therapeutic placement for an elementary student with multiple disabilities. Read the 3rd quarter commentary here!

Fourth Quarter 2018 BSEA Commentaries – Now Available

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The 4th Quarter 2018 BSEA Commentaries are now available on our website.  The districts “ran the table” in the 5 placement decisions this quarter, each time establishing that the program the district proposed provided FAPE.  Families and their attorneys and advocates can take solace in the fact that the hearing officers found the programs appropriate in each case only after it was demonstrated that the student was making significant, specific and demonstrable progress in the district’s placement and that the district incorporated recommendations from private evaluators. Continue reading →

Stay Up-to-Date: KCS Third Quarter 2018 BSEA Commentary Now Available!

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You won’t want to miss our commentary on the Bureau of Special Education Appeals (“BSEA”) decisions and rulings for the third quarter of 2018, written by KCS attorneys Eileen Hagerty and Alicia Warren for the Massachusetts Special Education Reporter.  The commentary is available on our website.  It offers summaries of recent cases, discussion of trends, and practical pointers for parents and practitioners. Continue reading →

KCS First Quarter 2018 BSEA Commentary Is Now Posted. We Highlight A Strike Against Work Product Protection for Lay Advocates.

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In a posting in July 2017, we celebrated a BSEA ruling that we hoped signaled the BSEA’s recognition of the importance of non-lawyer parent consultants as a resource to help parents – especially those without the means to engage attorneys – understand and make informed decisions in their advocacy for their children.  As we said in that post:

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News You Can Use: KCS Third Quarter 2017 BSEA Commentary Now Available!

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Don’t miss our commentary on the Bureau of Special Education Appeals (“BSEA”) decisions and rulings for the third quarter of 2017, written by KCS attorneys Eileen Hagerty and Alicia Warren for the Massachusetts Special Education Reporter.  The commentary, available on our website, offers summaries of recent cases and discussion of trends, along with useful tips for parents and practitioners. Continue reading →

KCS Third Quarter 2016 BSEA Commentary Now Available!

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Our commentary on the Bureau of Special Education Appeals (“BSEA”) decisions and rulings for the third quarter of 2016, written by KCS attorneys Eileen Hagerty and Alicia Parmentier for the Massachusetts Special Education Reporter, is now available on our website.  The commentary offers summaries of recent cases, along with useful tips for parents and practitioners. Continue reading →

KCS First and Second Quarter 2016 BSEA Commentaries are Posted!

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Our Massachusetts Special Education Reporter commentaries on Bureau of Special Education Appeals (“BSEA”) decisions from the first and second quarters of 2016 are now posted on our website.  It’s always instructive (and often sobering) to see how hearing officers read and apply the law.  They work hard to get it right, and while we don’t always agree with their analyses and rulings, we admire their integrity and diligence as they wrestle with the complex issues, standards, and procedures, seeking the appropriate results amidst the adversarial presentations of parents and districts. Continue reading →

Check Out the Second Quarter 2015 BSEA Commentary

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KCS attorneys comment quarterly on Bureau of Special Education Appeals (“BSEA”) decisions and rulings for the Massachusetts Special Education Reporter.  Eileen Hagerty’s commentary on the second quarter of 2015 is now available on our website. Continue reading →