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With 30 years' experience involving the mandated procedure and process, permit me to say that the article "Due Process: A No-Win System" (Sept. 21 issue) accurately portrayed an adversarial predicament that involves numerous inter-intra professional and personal relationships.
Suggestions that might prevent or at least reduce some of the conflicts inherent in the process are: (1) outside agency "independent evaluators" working with, rather than against, and communicating more cooperatively with Local Education Agencies (LEA); (2) professionals avoiding a conflict of interest by not transgressing their roles, i.e., becoming a family advocate while simultaneously contributing conflicting professional contradictory opinions; (3) the medical community working more cooperatively with the LEAs by not altering diagnostic "labels" to appease parental placement preferences; (4) the utilization of independent consultants by hearing officers to prevent fallacious decision-making, e.g., decisions based on "who has worked with the child the longest period of time;" and finally, (5) recognizing that the laws do not mandate specific programs based on specific philosophical approaches.
This article should be required reading of all who participate in such processes.
Robert J. Ferullo
Woburn, MA
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