Order Following Prehearing Conference

BEFORE THE

OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

In the Matter of:

PARENT ON BEHALF OF STUDENT, OAH Case No. 2016030850 v. ORDER FOLLOWING PREHEARING

CONFERENCE

COMPTON UNIFIED SCHOOL

DISTRICT.

On May 9, 2016, a telephonic prehearing conference was held before Administrative Law Judge Sabrina Kong, Office of Administrative Hearings. Brian Sciacca and Tony Nguyen, Attorneys at Law, appeared on Student’s behalf. Jane Reimers, Attorney at Law, appeared on Compton Unified School District’s behalf. The PHC was recorded.

Based upon discussion with the parties, the ALJ issues the following order:

1. Hearing Dates, Times, and Location. The hearing shall take place on May 17,

18, and 19, 2016 continuing day to day, Monday through Thursday, at the discretion of the ALJ. The hearing shall take place at District’s offices located at 2300 W. Caldwell Street, Room L-181, Compton, CA 90220. The hearing shall begin at 9:30 a.m. on the first day of the hearing, and end at 5:00 p.m., and at 9:00 a.m. all other days, and end at 4:30 p.m., unless otherwise ordered.

District shall provide a facility for the hearing that fully complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 794 et seq.), the Unruh Civil Rights Act (Civ. Code, § 51 et seq.), and all laws governing accessibility of government facilities to persons with disabilities. Prior to the beginning of the hearing, District shall assist the ALJ to ensure that the hearing room is configured into a courtroom setting, including (1) a table for Student and his representatives;

(2) a table for District’s legal representative and special education representative; (3) a table for the witness; and (4) a table for the ALJ, near an electrical outlet. District shall also make reasonable efforts to ensure that drinking water and tissue are available to all parties, witnesses and the ALJ.

The parties shall immediately notify all potential witnesses of the hearing dates, and shall subpoena witnesses if necessary, to ensure that the witnesses will be available to testify.

District informed ALJ that the room may change and that if it does, District will provide notice to OAH and all parties as soon as possible.

A witness will not be regarded as unavailable for purposes of showing “good cause” to continue the hearing if the witness is not properly notified of the hearing date or properly subpoenaed, as applicable.

2. Issues and Proposed Resolutions. The issues at the due process hearing, and

the proposed resolutions, are listed below.

a. Did District deny Student a free appropriate public education by failing to

find Student eligible for special education at the April 21, 2015 individualized education program team meeting?

b. Did District deny Student a FAPE by failing to:

(i) timely assess Student after Parent’s written request on December 1, 2014;

(ii) offer appropriate behavior goals from April 21, 2015 through March 11, 2016 ;

(iii) offer appropriate speech and language goals from April 21, 2015 through March 11, 2016;

(iv) offer appropriate occupational therapy goals from April 21, 2015 through March 11, 2016;

(v) timely assess Student after Parent’s written request on August 17, 2015;

(vi) have the general education teacher present at the December 14, 2015 IEP team meeting;

(vii) have the special education teacher present at the December 14, 2015 IEP team meeting;

(viii) have the general education teacher present at the January 15, 2016 IEP team meeting;

(ix) have the special education teacher present at the January 15, 2016 IEP team meeting;

(x) timely assess Student in the area of functional behavior pursuant to Parent’s request on January 15, 2016;

(xi) timely assess Student in the area of occupational therapy pursuant to Parent’s request on January 15, 2016;

(xii) provide written notice of District’s denial of Parent’s request for an occupational therapy assessment;

(xiii) consider Parents’ input during the April 21, 2015 IEP team meeting;

(xiv) consider Parents’ input during the December 14, 2015 IEP team meeting; and (xv) consider Parents’ input during the January 15, 2016 IEP team meeting?

c. Did District deny Student a FAPE by failing to offer Student an appropriate

placement in the least restrictive environment from April 21, 2015 to March 11, 2016? Student preferred the open ended “to present” time frame. ALJ limited the end of the relevant time frame to March 11, 2016, the date of filing of the due process complaint for issues 2.b.(ii), (iii) and (iv), 2.c., and 2d(i), (ii) and (iii).

d. Did District deny Student a FAPE from April 21, 2015 to March 11, 2016, by

failing to offer Student appropriate services in the areas of (i) behavior; (ii) speech and language; and (iii) occupational therapy?

3. Exhibits. Exhibits shall be pre-marked and placed in three-ring exhibit

binders prior to the hearing. The parties shall use numbers to identify exhibits, but shall place the letter “S” or “D” in front of the exhibit to designate if it is a Student or District exhibit (for example, “S-5, S-6, or D-1, D-2”). Each exhibit shall be internally paginated by exhibit, or all of a party’s exhibits shall be Bates-stamped. Each exhibit binder shall contain a detailed table of contents. The parties shall serve their evidence binders on each other in compliance with Education Code section 56505, subdivision (e)(7). At the hearing, each party shall supply an exhibit binder containing its exhibits for use by the ALJ, and a second exhibit binder for use by witnesses. The parties may not serve exhibits on OAH prior to the hearing. In the event of duplicate exhibits, the most legible version will be used.

The parties shall exchange resumes or curriculum vitae for each witness who is expected to testify as to their professional credentials.

Except for good cause shown, or unless used solely for rebuttal or impeachment, any exhibit not included in the exhibit lists and not previously exchanged shall not be admitted into evidence at the hearing unless it is supported by written declaration under penalty of perjury, and the ALJ rules that it is admissible.

4. Witnesses. Each party is responsible for procuring the attendance at hearing

of its own witnesses. Each party shall make witnesses under its control reasonably available. The parties shall schedule their witnesses to avoid delays in the hearing and to minimize or eliminate the need for calling witnesses out of order. Neither party shall be permitted to call any witnesses not disclosed in the party’s prehearing conference statement except for good cause shown, supported by written declaration under penalty of perjury, and at the discretion of the ALJ.

The parties are ordered to meet and confer by May 10, 2016, as to the schedule of witnesses and present a witness schedule at hearing pursuant to the example below, to coordinate the availability and order of testimony of witnesses, to ensure that there is a witness available to testify at all times during the hearing, and to ensure that the hearing is completed as scheduled.

Example:

The following witnesses will be called to testify on May 17, 2016:

1. Jane Smith at 9:30 a.m.

2. Bob Jones at 10:30 a.m.

The parties are encouraged to review and shorten their witness lists prior to the hearing, bearing in mind that evidence will be excluded if it is repetitive, cumulative, or insufficiently probative to justify the time it would take to hear.

The parties shall attempt to reach agreement on a witness list for the first day of hearing. District shall have witnesses available in case agreement on a witness list is not reached. Prior to the commencement of the due process hearing, the ALJ and the parties will discuss the length of time anticipated for direct and cross-examination of each witness and scheduling issues for individual witnesses, and the ALJ will finalize the witness schedule.

Additionally, the parties shall be prepared at the end of each day of hearing to discuss the witnesses to be presented the next day and the time the testimony of each such witness is expected to take.

5. Scope of Witness Examination. Each witness shall be called to testify only

once, except for rebuttal purposes, and all parties shall examine the witness on all issues when the witness is first called. After the first direct and cross-examinations, each party shall be limited in examining the witness to only those matters raised in the immediately preceding examination. The order in which the parties present their case in chief shall be subordinate to the need for each witness to appear only once.

6. Telephonic Testimony. Student may require telephonic testimony and will file

his motion no later than May 11, 2016. See paragraph 10 below for details on motion schedule.

Whether a witness may appear by telephone is a matter within the discretion of the ALJ. (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 5, § 3082, subd. (g).) Any party seeking to present a witness by telephone shall move in advance for leave to do so, unless the opposing party has stipulated that the witness may appear by telephone. The proponent of the witness shall provide the proposed witness with a complete set of exhibit binders from all parties, containing all of each party’s exhibits, prior to the hearing; and shall ensure that the hearing room has sound equipment that allows everyone in the room to hear the witness, and the witness to hear objections and rulings. Telephonic testimony, if permitted, shall be provided on a land line only. No witness will be heard by telephone unless all these requirements have been fulfilled.

7. Timely Disclosure of Witnesses/Exhibits. Education Code section 56505,

subdivision (e)(7), provides for disclosure of witnesses and exhibits at least five business days prior to the hearing.

8. Electronic Recording of Hearing.

a. Audio Recording. Student and District moved to audio record the

hearing. The parties’ request to make an audio recording of the hearing is granted as a courtesy and subject to the following conditions: 1) that OAH’s recording is the only official recording; 2) that the recording will be turned on and off at the same time as the ALJ’s recording, in order to avoid recording conversations while off the record; 3) that operation of the party’s recording mechanism will not be allowed to delay the hearing; 4) that the recording shall not be played or published for a prospective witness; 5) that the recording shall not be used for any purpose other than assisting in the representation and presentation of this due process hearing; 6) that the parties shall erase, or otherwise destroy, the recording after the hearing and all opportunities for appeal from any decision herein has been exhausted; and 7) that the parties shall not use this recording in any subsequent due process hearing.

b. Video Recording. No party, witness or anyone else present may

make any video recording of any part of the proceedings. Any person doing so shall be subject to sanctions.

9. Order of Presentation of Evidence. In an administrative proceeding, the

burden of proof is ordinarily on the party requesting the hearing. (Schaffer v. Weast (2005)

546 U.S. 49, 56-62 [126 S.Ct. 528, 163 L.Ed.2d 387].) In matter, Student shall present its case-in-chief first, followed by District.

10. Motions. If Student requires telephonic testimony, he will file and serve his

motion no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 11, 2016. District may file and serve an opposition no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 13, 2016. No other motions were anticipated by either party.

Any motion filed after this date, other than Student’s motion for telephonic testimony, shall be supported by a declaration under penalty of perjury establishing good cause as to why the motion was not made prior to or during the prehearing conference of May 9, 2016.

11. Compensatory Education/Reimbursement. Any party seeking reimbursement

of expenditures shall present admissible evidence of these expenditures, or a stipulation to the amount of expenditures, as part of its case in chief. A party seeking compensatory education should provide evidence regarding the type, amount, duration, and need for any requested compensatory education.

12. Stipulations. Stipulations to pertinent facts, contentions or resolutions are

encouraged. Any proposed stipulation shall be submitted to the assigned ALJ in written form.

13. Conduct of Counsel and Hearing Room Decorum. Counsel, all parties, and all

witnesses shall conduct themselves in a professional and courteous manner at all times.

Cellular phones, pagers, recorders, and other noisemaking electronic devices shall be shut off or set to vibrate during the hearing unless permission to the contrary is obtained from the

ALJ.

14. Special Needs and Accommodations. None anticipated at the PHC. A party or

participant to this case, such as a witness, requiring reasonable accommodation to participate in the mediation or hearing may contact the assigned calendar staff, identified in the scheduling order, at (916) 263-0880, as soon as the need is known. Additional information concerning requests for reasonable accommodation is available on OAH’s website at:

http://www.dgs.ca.gov/oah/Home/Accommodations.aspx

15. Hearing Closed To the Public.

16. Settlement. The parties are encouraged to continue working together

to reach an agreement before the due process hearing. The parties shall inform OAH in writing immediately should they reach a settlement or otherwise resolve the dispute before the scheduled hearing. In addition, if a settlement is reached within five days of the scheduled start of the due process hearing, the parties shall also inform OAH of the settlement by telephone at (916) 263-0880.

IF A FULL AND FINAL WRITTEN SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT IS REACHED

AFTER 5:00 P.M. THE DAY PRIOR TO HEARING, THE PARTIES SHALL LEAVE A

VOICEMAIL MESSAGE REGARDING THE SETTLEMENT AT (916) 274-6035. THE

PARTIES SHOULD ALSO LEAVE CONTACT INFORMATION SUCH AS CELLULAR

PHONE NUMBERS OF EACH PARTY OR COUNSEL FOR EACH PARTY. THE

PARTIES SHOULD SIMULTANEOUSLY FAX THE SIGNATURE PAGE OF THE

SIGNED AGREEMENT OR A LETTER WITHDRAWING THE CASE TO OAH AT

THE FAXINATION LINE at 916-376-6319.

Dates for hearing will not be cancelled until the letter of withdrawal or signature page of the signed agreement has been received by OAH. If an agreement in principle is reached, the parties should plan to attend the scheduled hearing unless different arrangements have been agreed upon by the assigned ALJ. The assigned ALJ will check for messages the evening prior to the hearing or the morning of the hearing.

If the matter settles subject to board approval, in addition to a signed copy of the signature page of the settlement agreement as noted above, the parties shall submit a request for a status conference and provide the date of the next board meeting. The hearing dates will not be cancelled without this information.

17. Failure to comply with this order may result in the exclusion of evidence or

other sanctions.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

DATE: May 9, 2016

SABRINA KONG

Administrative Law Judge Office of Administrative Hearings