Illinois · special-education accountability
Due-process decisions, decoded
What is a due-process hearing — and why would a parent need one?
When a parent and a school district can't resolve a disagreement about a child's special education — whether the IEP is appropriate, where the child is placed, or what services or evaluations are owed — either side can file for a due-process hearing: a formal, court-like proceeding before a neutral state hearing officer. It is the strongest enforcement tool a parent has under federal law (the IDEA), and usually a last resort after other steps fail. Below is every Illinois decision on record (316, FY 2008–2026) — read and classified so you can see what families actually fight over and how often they win.
Why this is statewide, not per-district. ISBE anonymizes both the district and the student in every decision ("Student … v. District"), so these can't be tied to a specific district — but as a body they show the system clearly. ISBE source
What these 293 decisions were about — and how they came out
We read every decision on file and classified each by the issue in dispute and who prevailed. (Some early decisions could not be machine-read.)
Who prevailed
35%Parent prevailed (104)18%Split decision (52)46%District prevailed (136)0%Dismissed / withdrawn (1)
Parents prevailed outright in about 35% of decided cases — a reminder that these hearings are hard-fought and far from a sure thing, which is why most disputes are resolved long before this stage.
Most common issues in dispute
FAPE denial245
IEP adequacy/implementation156
Placement/LRE156
Eligibility/evaluation/child find135
Compensatory education109
Private/residential placement & reimbursement103
Related services92
Independent educational evaluation (IEE)88
Procedural/parent-participation81
Behavior/discipline/manifestation66
Disabilities most often involved
Specific Learning Disability 57Autism 50Emotional Disability 39Other Health Impairment 33Intellectual Disability 20Speech/Language 8Hearing Impairment 4Developmental Delay 3
A student with emotional disturbance had been wrongly dropped from special education and given a defective IEP with no behavior plan; the hearing officer ordered the district to fund a private therapeutic day school, evaluations, tutoring, counseling, behavior training, and a partial cost reimbursement.
FAPE denialIEP adequacy/implementationPrivate/residential placement & reimbursement
A parent of a child with a speech-language impairment and a medical condition wanted full-time nursing and a speech-to-text assistive-technology device written into the IEP, but the hearing officer found the district's health services sufficient and the device unwarranted, leaving the current IEP in place.
FAPE denialRelated servicesIEP adequacy/implementation
A parent disputed her son's new emotional-disturbance eligibility, an allegedly inadequate IEP, faulty meeting notices, and a therapeutic placement, but the hearing officer found the therapeutic day program appropriate and ruled the parent had not shown the IEP or procedural lapses denied a free appropriate public education.
FAPE denialIEP adequacy/implementationEligibility/evaluation/child find
The district sought to confirm its evaluations of a child suspected of a learning disability were adequate; the speech and health evaluations were upheld, but the psychological, social-emotional, and missing occupational-therapy evaluations were found inadequate and the district was ordered to fund independent evaluations in those areas.
Eligibility/evaluation/child findIndependent educational evaluation (IEE)
Parents of a student with emotional disturbance and violent behavior at home argued he needed a residential school, but the hearing officer found his therapeutic day-school placement was the least restrictive environment and denied the residential placement.
FAPE denialPlacement/LREPrivate/residential placement & reimbursement
The school district asked the hearing officer to confirm its evaluations were proper; the psychological evaluation was upheld, but because the district failed to do an occupational-therapy evaluation it was ordered to pay for an independent OT evaluation.
Eligibility/evaluation/child findIndependent educational evaluation (IEE)
A guardian challenged a secondary emotional-disturbance label, the accuracy of behavioral records, and a proposed change in classes for a student with a cognitive disability, but the hearing officer dismissed all claims and let the school's proposed reading/math program proceed.
FAPE denialPlacement/LREEligibility/evaluation/child find
A parent showed the district failed to deliver several IEP services to her learning-disabled high-schooler over two years, earning him 80 hours of compensatory tutoring, but her requests for assistive technology, special transportation, and changed grades were denied.
IEP adequacy/implementationFAPE denialCompensatory education
A learning-disabled and depressed teen who went over a year with no IEP and almost no services won funding for a private therapeutic day school, an extra compensatory year of high school, transportation, and compensatory tutoring and social work services.
FAPE denialIEP adequacy/implementationRelated services
Parents (representing themselves) sought a private day school and reimbursement for three private evaluations of their son with a learning/communication disability; the hearing officer denied the private placement, finding the district program appropriate, but ordered the district to reimburse two of the three independent evaluations it had relied on.
Private/residential placement & reimbursementFAPE denialPlacement/LRE
The parent of a medically fragile teen with multiple severe disabilities showed the district failed to honor the stay-put order and provide his private nurse on the bus; the hearing officer ordered compensatory services, a communication device, a 1:1 bus aide, and added nursing and equipment to his IEP.
FAPE denialIEP adequacy/implementationRelated services
A father argued the district ignored his son's disabilities; the hearing officer found the district failed to evaluate him on time and ordered him made eligible for special education for a math learning disability, but left autism eligibility to the IEP team and denied the transportation request.
Eligibility/evaluation/child findFAPE denialIEP adequacy/implementation
In a case the district filed, a father wanted to revoke special-education services and return his son (with bipolar/ADHD and severe behaviors) to a regular classroom, but the hearing officer overrode the revocation and upheld the therapeutic day placement, finding the boy would likely be expelled without the services.
Eligibility/evaluation/child findPlacement/LREFAPE denial
Parents who placed their son (with a learning disability and a chromosomal condition) in a private school for learning disabilities won reimbursement because the district's IEP was found fundamentally flawed, including tuition and transportation for the current year plus a transition 'bridge' year.
FAPE denialIEP adequacy/implementationPrivate/residential placement & reimbursement
A parent (representing herself) wanted her hearing-impaired and emotionally disturbed son returned to regular high-school classes and objected to his discipline, but the hearing officer found the more restrictive alternative day program was an appropriate education and that the discipline was proper.
FAPE denialPlacement/LREBehavior/discipline/manifestation
Parents of a boy with severe reading/dyslexia difficulties showed the district failed to evaluate and serve him adequately for years, and the hearing officer ordered publicly funded independent evaluations, reimbursement of the family's private evaluators, and compensatory tutoring and related services.
FAPE denialEligibility/evaluation/child findRelated services
A father (representing himself) wanted his daughter, who had violent outbursts, moved back to the regular school and alleged she was placed there without proper consent, but the hearing officer found the therapeutic placement was the appropriate least-restrictive setting and that consent was valid, denying all requests.
Placement/LREFAPE denialBehavior/discipline/manifestation
A parent won summary judgment because the district had agreed to provide compensatory tutoring and speech services in the IEP but delayed implementing them for over six months; the hearing officer ordered the district to start the services within 10 days.
IEP adequacy/implementationCompensatory educationProcedural/parent-participation
Parents argued their adopted daughter (with trauma and possible fetal-alcohol effects) should qualify for special education, but the hearing officer upheld the district's finding that she was not eligible under IDEA and dismissed all claims, even though the district was found to have delayed evaluating her.
Eligibility/evaluation/child findFAPE denialRelated services
Parents of a student with a reading and language learning disability won findings that the district failed to remediate her reading and provide social work services (earning compensatory reading tutoring and social work), but their requests for a private school placement and publicly funded independent evaluations were denied.
FAPE denialIEP adequacy/implementationRelated services
A mother who pulled her severely autistic, non-verbal daughter out to attend a private ABA/Lovaas school sought reimbursement, but the hearing officer found the district's autism program provided an appropriate education and denied all relief.
FAPE denialPrivate/residential placement & reimbursementIEP adequacy/implementation
Parents who had unilaterally placed their child with Down syndrome in a residential school sought public funding for it, but the hearing officer found the district's program adequate and denied both reimbursement and residential placement, ordering only new evaluations.
FAPE denialPrivate/residential placement & reimbursementPlacement/LRE
Parents of an autistic young child argued the public IEP did not provide an appropriate education (no behavior plan despite escalating tantrums and biting), and the hearing officer agreed, ordering a full-day year-round private therapeutic day school plus a year of compensatory education.
FAPE denialIEP adequacy/implementationPrivate/residential placement & reimbursement
A caregiver argued the district wrongly refused to evaluate a failing child who was repeating third grade despite repeated written requests; the hearing officer found the district violated its duty to evaluate and identify the child and ordered 96 hours of compensatory tutoring.
Eligibility/evaluation/child findFAPE denialCompensatory education
A parent argued the district's evaluations and IEP were flawed and failed to address her non-reading son's speech, sensory and learning needs (and raised improper restraint use); the hearing officer found the evaluations inadequate and ordered independent evaluations, an assistive-technology assessment, doubled speech services, weekly tutoring, and a compensatory summer program.
FAPE denialEligibility/evaluation/child findIEP adequacy/implementation
Parents removed their child from an agreed private day school after twenty days and placed him in a private residential facility, then sought reimbursement; the hearing officer found the district had provided a free appropriate education in the least restrictive environment and denied reimbursement.
FAPE denialPrivate/residential placement & reimbursementPlacement/LRE
A parent of a medically fragile, nonverbal teen claimed the district denied a free appropriate education through unsafe bus transportation, lack of home services, and failure to do an assistive-technology evaluation; the hearing officer found a violation only for one day lost to a bus incident and ordered make-up services for that day, denying everything else.
FAPE denialRelated servicesIndependent educational evaluation (IEE)
After a private therapeutic day school discharged her son, a parent unilaterally placed him elsewhere and sought reimbursement, arguing the district's proposed therapeutic programs were inappropriate; the hearing officer found the district provided a free appropriate education and denied reimbursement.
FAPE denialPrivate/residential placement & reimbursementBehavior/discipline/manifestation
A guardian asked that previously-terminated school social-work services be reinstated for a teenager, but the hearing officer found his current IEP appropriately focused on academics and that he no longer needed the services, denying the request.
Related servicesFAPE denial
A self-represented mother of a severely disabled boy sought a private placement, arguing his services were inadequate; the hearing officer denied the private placement but found his existing program insufficient, ordering substantially increased therapy and physical-education services, a one-on-one aide, a new structured IEP, and a corrected eligibility category.
FAPE denialPlacement/LREIEP adequacy/implementation
Parents disputed the district's emotional-disability label and its plan to send their young daughter to a therapeutic day school, asking instead for a regular classroom; the hearing officer found the therapeutic school too restrictive but the regular class not enough, ordering a self-contained classroom with social-work services and transition, safety and communication plans.
FAPE denialPlacement/LREEligibility/evaluation/child find
The district wanted to move a student from consultation-only support into a separate special-education reading/language-arts class, but the parents objected; the hearing officer found the student was making more-than-minimal progress in the regular classroom and ordered the district to keep him there with consultation and accommodations rather than the more restrictive setting.
IEP adequacy/implementationPlacement/LRE
Parents of a preschooler with a feeding disorder argued the district should have found him eligible at age three and should fund feeding and nutrition therapy; the hearing officer ruled for the district, finding he was not eligible in 2007 and that the later IEP was appropriate and need not cover medically-oriented feeding therapy.
Eligibility/evaluation/child findFAPE denialPlacement/LRE
A grandmother sought added services, a one-on-one aide, and compensatory help for her grandchild after a private day-school placement was agreed; the hearing officer found the district prevailed on nearly everything but had been late to evaluate for occupational therapy, ordering limited OT and audiology consultation only.
FAPE denialEligibility/evaluation/child findRelated services
Parents of a severely disabled young child sought reimbursement for placing her in a private day school, arguing the district's proposed schools could not implement her IEP; the hearing officer found the district had denied a free appropriate education and ordered it to reimburse the private-school tuition.
FAPE denialPrivate/residential placement & reimbursementPlacement/LRE
Parents who unilaterally placed their daughter in a private school argued the district's IEP did not address all her needs and that it missed its duty to evaluate; the hearing officer found a denial of education, ordered reimbursement for the private placement and transportation, and reduced the prospective award by one month based on when the duty to evaluate was triggered.
FAPE denialEligibility/evaluation/child findPrivate/residential placement & reimbursement
A student alleged the district denied a free appropriate education through an inadequate IEP, an improper evaluation, and destruction of test records, and sought an independent evaluation; the hearing officer dismissed all claims and ordered no further district action.
FAPE denialIEP adequacy/implementationPlacement/LRE