Role of CADRE to Resolve Educational Disputes for Disabled Children

If your child is disabled, there are unique challenges you will face in terms of academic achievement and educational curriculums. In many public school settings, the use of the IDEA format is quite common among children who possess special needs or children who are disabled and require special education services.

As a parent, it is important to become actively involved in your child's education and progress. Because the key to your child's success lies, primarily, in your cooperation and communication with educational professionals, your involvement is important from the onset. When you find that you do not agree with an educational curriculum format, it is also important to understand how dispute resolution in the special education system is handled.

A process commonly referred to as Consortium for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education was established in 1988 and designed to assist families of a disabled child in resolving dispute issues associated with the special education program. While the primary focus of the program is to facilitate communication and resolution among educators and parents, the CADRE program is also designed to establish a five step program of special education within each public school system.

To become familiar with your child's IEP and special education program, ask the school about the use of the CADRE program and the five steps: prevention of dispute, resolution of dispute using parent-to-parent peer interaction, managing conflict through IEP directors, assessment of statutory guidelines, and the last resort of legal proceedings. Often, public schools can effectively manage your child's special education disputes with step one but, in some cases, may need to progress through step three to achieve final resolution. It is only in rare cases that special education conflict may land in the area of legal proceedings. Even still, as the parent of a disabled child, you should become familiar with all five steps associated with CADRE.