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Monday 8am - 4:30pm Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm Thursday 8am - 4:30pm Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Special Education Resolution Center

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Tulsa, OK
Special Education Resolution Center

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SERC is the state of Oklahoma’s dispute resolution agency for special education.

We offer training, IEP facilitation, mediation, and the due process hearing system. Our mission is to help families & schools resolve disputes at the earliest stage possible.

10/14/2026

If you've participated in an individualized education program (IEP) meeting, you may have heard the term least restrictive environment (LRE) when the team is discussing where a student will receive special education services. But what does that mean?

LRE stands for Least Restrictive Environment. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), students with disabilities are educated with students without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate. Removal from the regular educational environment occurs only when education in regular classes, even with supplementary aids and services, cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

The word appropriate is important. LRE doesn't mean every student must receive all services in the general education classroom or that one setting is automatically the least restrictive for every student. Placement decisions are individualized, based on the student's IEP, and made by a group that includes the student's parents.

During an IEP meeting, the team may consider what supports and services could help the student learn and participate with students without disabilities. LRE also includes opportunities to participate with students without disabilities in nonacademic and extracurricular settings.

Why does this matter? The question isn't simply, “Where will this student go to school and receive services?” The team is considering how the student's individual needs can be met while providing opportunities, to the maximum extent appropriate, to learn and participate alongside students without disabilities.

Understanding LRE can help families and educators participate more meaningfully in placement conversations, ask questions, and share information about what the student may need to learn, participate, and make progress.

For more information, visit the Oklahoma State Department of Education - Special Education Services (OSDE-SES) Policy and Procedures Manual, starting at page 273, at https://bit.ly/4xQcnSp. We invite you to follow along each week and share your questions, experiences, and insights as we learn together!

10/13/2026

We've been staying busy at the Special Education Resolution Center (SERC) as the first quarter of the school year wraps up and Fall Break begins!

From conducting trainings and working alongside our Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE) workgroup pilot districts to spending time together for some all-staff team building at Oklahoma State University (OSU) with other accessibility programs, it’s been a productive start to the year with more to come. We’ve also continued doing what we do every day - helping Oklahoma families and schools navigate challenging situations and find a path forward with students at the center.

We’re grateful for opportunities to learn and grow together, and the trust families and schools place in us along the way. Wishing everyone a restful and well-deserved Fall Break!

10/07/2026

If you’ve participated in special education, you’ve probably heard the term IEP. But what does IEP mean?

IEP stands for Individualized Education Program. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), an IEP is a written plan made for each eligible student with a disability. It describes the student's individual educational needs. An IEP includes key information about the student's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, annual goals, and the special education and related services with supports that will be provided.

The word individualized is important. An IEP isn't simply a standard program provided to every student who receives special education services. The IEP team considers the unique needs of the individual student and creates an educational program based on those needs. IDEA identifies parents, teachers, a public agency representative, and others as members of the IEP team, with the student participating whenever appropriate.

During an IEP meeting, the team may discuss what the student is currently doing academically and functionally, what the student needs, what goals are appropriate, what services and supports will be provided, and how progress toward the student's goals will be measured. These different parts of the conversation come together in the student's IEP.

Why does this matter? The IEP is more than a document to complete. It reflects important educational decisions made for an individual student. Families and educators may bring different information, experiences, and perspectives about the student to the conversation. The IEP process allows the team to consider those perspectives together as it develops, reviews, and revises the student's educational program.

Understanding the purpose of the IEP can help families and educators participate more meaningfully in IEP meetings, ask questions about the student's educational program, share information they believe is important, and better understand the decisions the team is making together. For more information, visit the OSDE-SES Policy and Procedures Manual at https://bit.ly/4xQcnSp,starting on page 204.

We invite you to follow along each week and share your questions, experiences, and insights as we learn together.

10/01/2026

Join the Special Education Resolution Center (SERC) for a FREE, two-part evening series designed to give parents in the Edmond School District practical information, tools, and resources for navigating special education and partnering with your child’s school. The evening sessions will be held Thursday, October 29 and Thursday, November 12 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at the Edmond Public School District Office, 1001 W. Danforth Rd. SERC is the state’s neutral agency for dispute resolution in partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE).

• Night One: Understanding Special Education - Learn about the key principles of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including free and appropriate public education, parent participation, evaluation and eligibility, the IEP, least restrictive environment, and procedural safeguards.
• Night Two: Communication, Collaboration, & Advocacy - Explore strategies for productive communication and collaboration, effective advocacy, and navigating information in today’s digital world (including the benefits and limitations of using AI), and accessing reputable, trustworthy resources.

To register for Let's Talk IEPs - A Parent Resource Series for Edmond Public Schools Parents, fill out the registration form at https://bit.ly/4AlRb96. Come with questions, leave with resources, and build the knowledge and tools to be an active partner in your child’s education.

09/30/2026

If you’ve participated in a special education evaluation or eligibility meeting, you may have heard the term MEEGS. But what does that mean?

MEEGS stands for Multidisciplinary Evaluation and Eligibility Group Summary. The MEEGS brings together information from the evaluation process to help the group consider whether a student meets the requirements for eligibility for special education services.

The word multidisciplinary is important. Determining eligibility isn't based on a single test, score, observation, or perspective. Information from different sources is considered as the group develops a more complete understanding of the student and their educational needs.

During the eligibility process, the group reviews the evaluation information and considers whether the student meets the criteria for one or more of the disability categories under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). If they do meet the needs of one or more of the IDEA disability categories, special education and related services should be provided to the student. The MEEGS documents and summarizes that process and the group's eligibility determination.

Why does this matter? An eligibility decision is an important educational decision, and families and educators may bring different information and perspectives to the conversation. Looking at the information together can help the group develop a shared understanding of what the evaluation tells them about the student and how that information relates to eligibility.

Understanding the purpose of the MEEGS can help families and educators participate more meaningfully in eligibility conversations, ask questions about the information being considered, and share information they believe may help the group better understand the student. For more information, visit the OSDE-SES Policy and Procedures Manual at https://bit.ly/4xQcnSp starting at page 189.

We invite you to follow along each week and share your questions, experiences, and insights as we learn together.

09/29/2026

Every quarter, check out the helpful resources put together by SERC staff for parents and educators in our SERC Scoop Newsletter! Together, we can work to resolve special education disputes at the earliest stage possible.

Sign up for our email list to get the Scoop directly to your inbox each quarter on the SERC Scoop Newsletter webpage, or read the September 2026 SERC Scoop on our website at https://bit.ly/4iUaa4v!

09/23/2026

If you’ve participated in a special education evaluation or reevaluation, you may have heard the term RED. But what does that mean?

RED stands for "review of existing data." As part of an initial evaluation and/or reevaluation, the individualized education program (IEP) team and other qualified professionals review information already available about the student. This may include previous evaluations, information provided by parents, classroom assessments and observations, and information from teachers and other service providers.

Why review information the team already has? The purpose isn't simply to collect more data. The team considers what the existing information tells them about the student and whether additional information is needed to make important educational decisions.

For example, the review can help the team determine what additional data, if any, are needed to decide whether the student has or continues to have a disability and needs special education and related services, as well as to identify the student's educational needs.

Why does this matter? Families and educators often bring different information and perspectives about a student to the conversation. RED provides an opportunity to consider that information together and identify what the team already knows—and what it may still need to learn.

Understanding the purpose of the RED can help families and educators participate more meaningfully in evaluation and reevaluation conversations, ask questions about the information being considered, and share information they believe may help the team better understand the student. For more information, view the Oklahoma Department of Education - Special Education Services (OSDE-SES) Policy and Procedures Manual at https://bit.ly/4xQcnSp, starting on page 77.

We invite you to follow along each week and share your questions, experiences, and insights as we learn together.

09/16/2026

If you’ve participated in an individualized education program (IEP) meeting, you may have heard the term FAPE used when discussing a student’s special education services. But what does that mean?

FAPE stands for Free Appropriate Public Education. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), eligible students with disabilities have the right to receive special education and related services that are provided at public expense and designed to meet their individual educational needs.

During an IEP meeting, you may hear FAPE discussed when the team is considering the services, supports, accommodations, goals, or other components of a student's educational program. The IEP is an important part of how FAPE is provided to an eligible student.

Why does this matter? FAPE doesn't mean that every student receives the same educational program. The word appropriate is important. The IEP team considers the unique needs of the individual student and develops an educational program designed to provide the student with an appropriate education under IDEA.

Understanding what FAPE means can help everyone at the table better understand the purpose behind many of the conversations and decisions that take place during an IEP meeting. Shared understanding of the language can make it easier for team members to follow the conversation, ask questions, and participate fully in making important educational decisions for a student.

We invite you to follow along each week and share your questions, experiences, and insights as we learn together.

09/09/2026

If you’ve participated in an individualized education program (IEP) meeting, you may have heard someone referred to as the LEA. But what does that mean?

LEA stands for Local Education Agency. In most situations, LEA refers to the local school district or other public agency responsible for providing special education and related services to eligible students.

During an IEP meeting, you may also hear someone referred to as the LEA representative. This is a member of the IEP team who represents the school district and meets specific requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Among other things, this person must be knowledgeable about the district’s resources and have the authority to commit those resources to support the student’s educational needs.

Why does this matter? The IEP team isn't simply discussing what a student needs. It’s making decisions about the special education services and supports that will be provided. Having an LEA representative at the table helps ensure that the team can have meaningful conversations and make decisions about the resources needed to implement the student's IEP.

Understanding the language used in an IEP meeting can make it easier for everyone at the table to follow the conversation, ask questions, and participate fully in making important educational decisions for a student.

We invite you to follow along each week and share your questions, experiences, and insights as we learn together.

09/03/2026

Are your school meetings productive, collaborative, and solution-focused — or do they sometimes feel like they get stuck in the weeds? Whether you’re leading IEP meetings, staff discussions, or parent conferences, the ability to guide a group toward shared understanding is a game-changing skill.

Join SERC for our one-day facilitation training on September 14, 2026, designed for anyone in a leadership role within their district: counselors, principals, special education directors, and special education teachers. In this hands-on training, you’ll learn:
• Essential qualities and skills every great facilitator should have
• The facilitator’s role before, during, and after a meeting
• Practical strategies for keeping conversations on track, even when discussions get tough
• A full toolbox of techniques you can use immediately in your own meetings

This session is perfect for districts wanting to develop in-house facilitators for IEP meetings or for educators who want to sharpen their communication and conflict-resolution skills. You’ll leave with resources, strategies, and the confidence to lead any meeting, no matter how challenging.

To register for the September 2026 Facilitation Training opportunity, visit https://okserc.org/stakeholder-training/.

Address

5314 S. Yale Avenue , Ste 206
Tulsa, OK
74135

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	8am - 4:30pm
Thursday	8am - 4:30pm
Friday	8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+18882670028

Website

https://okserc.org/

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