Pursuant to court order, a revised consent decree with attachments were submitted to the court on June 30, 2006. The consent order was approved on August 29, 2006.
Case Closure
Under the consent decree the defendants are required to implement hearing officers’ decisions (HODs) and settlement agreements (SAs) that are overdue for implementation. DCPS sought to "close" those cases, for example, when the student has moved out of D.C. or was no longer attending school, or when the parent or legal representative did not respond to mailings or phone calls. With the help of the Court Monitor, we negotiated a set of protocols for closing cases. These protocols require DCPS to make diligent efforts to reach parents and their legal representatives (with multiple letters and phone calls, and use of other data bases), and to take appropriate steps before closing a case. The protocols are listed here, with sample drafts of the form letters that were sent out. If you have an HOD or SA that has not been implemented and did not receive such a letter, please notify us by mail to:
Blackman/Jones Protocols
Bazelon Center, Suite 1212
1101 15th Street NW
Washington DC 20005-5002
Under the consent decree parents are entitled to compensatory services when DCPS has failed to implement an HOD or SA in a timely manner. DCPS is required to send a letter and a catalog of possible services and educational items to the parent or guardian and the legal representative of a student who has experienced a delay in implementation. The catalog is available by searching for "Blackman" on the DCPS website and is more easily available here.
Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
1101 15th Street, NW, Suite
1212
Washington, DC 20005
