Workshop 1: Wednesday, September 23rd from 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
In-person or virtually; plus a 1 hour follow-up session will be held virtually in October
Presenter: David Bateman, Ph.D.
Title: Current Trends and Emerging Issues in Special Education
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM Continental Breakfast/Coffee and Registration
8:30 AM – 3:30 PM Full-day Workshop
Dr. Bateman will also be providing a one hour follow-up session in October that will be held virtually
Presenter: David Bateman, PhD, is a nationally recognized expert in special education dispute resolution and legal compliance. He has ten years of experience as a first-tier due process hearing officer and has worked as a complaint investigator and has since served as a second-tier hearing officer in multiple states. In addition, over the past ten years, he has worked as a mediator in five states and one U.S. territory. Dr. Bateman is the lead author of one of the primary books on special education dispute resolution (Bateman, Yell, & Dorego, 2023) and has coauthored several other widely used books and resources on special education law (e.g., Yell, Bateman, & Shriner, 2022; SpedLawBlog.com; IRIS modules). He is a frequent keynote speaker for not only state special education administration conferences, but also conferences for families of students with disabilities. In addition, he has authored a document on how to write a 504-plan that is being used in 48 states and two territories. Recently, he was the neutral factfinder in the class action lawsuit against the Oregon Department of Education relating to special education services. Dr. Bateman is a former special education classroom teacher and building-level administrator, and the parent of two adult children—one who had an IEP in school and the other who had a Section 504 plan.
Session Description: This full-day workshop will provide school psychologists with a comprehensive and practical examination of current trends and emerging legal issues in special education, with a focus on defensible decision-making and alignment with federal and state requirements. Grounded in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and relevant case law, the session emphasizes the evolving expectations for evaluation, eligibility determination, and data-based educational planning. Participants will engage in a detailed analysis of legally sound practices for conducting Manifestation Determination Reviews (MDRs), including common procedural and substantive errors that lead to findings of noncompliance. The session will highlight the importance of clearly linking behavior to disability, ensuring accurate implementation of IEPs, and avoiding predetermination or insufficient team analysis. The session will also address current considerations in the identification of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) within the school setting, including the distinction between medical diagnosis and educational eligibility, the use of multi-source data, the risks associated with overreliance on rating scales or insufficient functional data, and legal implications of misidentification and failure to evaluate. In addition, participants will explore best practices for identifying and supporting students with anxiety and related internalizing disorders, with an emphasis on functional impact, attendance-related concerns, and the intersection of mental health and educational performance. Across all topics, the session will emphasize the role of the school psychologist as a critical decision-maker in ensuring that evaluations are comprehensive, defensible, and clearly tied to educational need. Participants will leave with practical strategies, legal guidance, and decision-making frameworks that may be immediately applied in practice.
Workshop 2: Thursday, September 24th, 2026 In-Person or Virtual
Presenter: Gail Friel, M.A.
Title: Legally Defensible Practices for School Psychologists
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM Continental Breakfast/Coffee and Registration
8:30 AM – 4:30 PM Full-day Workshops
Presenter: Gail Friel is an Education Specialist with over 30 years of experience as a Pennsylvania certified school psychologist. As a school psychologist, she performed over a thousand initial multidisciplinary evaluations and reevaluations of pre-school through high school students for a wide variety of needs. Ms. Friel also taught special education and psychological/educational assessment to graduate students as an Adjunct Professor at Arcadia University and Chestnut Hill College. During her tenure as a school psychologist, Ms. Friel assisted school districts and their attorneys in preparing for and conducting due process hearings and mediation, reviewing independent evaluation reports presented to her school district and determining the appropriate response. In her current role at Wisler Pearlstine, a law firm in PA, Ms. Friel utilizes her expertise to assist with special education case preparation by analyzing evaluation reports, independent educational evaluations, and Individualized Education Programs, and offering solutions. Ms. Friel’s responsibilities also include in-service presentations for special education directors, teachers, school psychologists, and school board members, and drafting school policies on various issues.
Session Description: This full-day workshop explores legal issues specific to school psychology, beginning with case studies of Hearing Officer Decisions analyzing comprehensive versus non-comprehensive evaluations. Participants will learn specific methods to increase the quality and comprehensiveness of psychological evaluations and how to navigate difficult disability determinations for Other Health Impairment (OHI), Emotional Disability (ED), and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The session will also highlight common evaluation traps and how to avoid them while providing concrete recommendations for conducting legally defensible special education evaluations. Finally, attendees will explore the emerging legal considerations regarding the use of artificial intelligence in report writing.
