Special Education Mediation services are offered by OSPI at no charge to parents or school districts.   Mediation is available to help resolve problems involving -  Initial identification of a student -  Evaluations of the student -  Educational placement -  Educational services provided to a student   A mediation session is conducted by a trained, impartial mediator who assists the parties in discussing the issues in order to try and reach an agreement.   Citizen Complaints: Any individual or organization may file a citizen complaint if they believe rights have been violated regarding federal or state laws or regulations implementing IDEA by -  A school district   -  Another public agency serving special education students   -  A private agency under contract with a public agency to serve special education students   -  An educational service district The state OSPI investigates the complaints and issues a decision addressing the allegations.

Helps resolve disputes, complaints and conflict between families and schools through facilitation.   Acts as a confidential, neutral third party not associated with the public school system.   Promotes school-family partnerships and provides information about the education system and referrals to education-related resources.   Helps parents concerned about a child being bullied at school.   Provides workshops and presentations and publishes materials designed to help families understand and navigate the K-12 education system.   Publications can be downloaded from the website or mailed.   Publications are translated into several languages.   The Education Ombudsman does not help with issues regarding:   -  Elected officials (such as school board members)   -  Private schools   -  Private organizations or businesses   -  Preschools, colleges and universities   Does not have the authority to force a school or school district to take a specific course of action and cannot discipline or terminate school or school district employees.   Does not provide legal advice or services.