Special Education Compliance Protocol Library
Operational response protocols for school districts and education agencies facing IDEA due process complaints, Section 504 disputes, and related compliance events.
Each protocol provides a step-by-step, time-bound response sequence. Roles are assigned. Escalation triggers are defined. Stop conditions tell you when to pause and consult counsel.
These protocols are operational tools. They do not replace legal advice. They reduce the procedural errors that turn manageable situations into costly ones.
Available Protocols
Due Process Rapid Response — First 72 Hours
A sequenced response framework covering the first 72 hours after a due process complaint is filed. Role assignments, document assembly, privilege flags, and counsel engagement timeline.
View Protocol — $199Stay-Put Determination Protocol
Procedural steps for determining and implementing stay-put (pendency) placement under IDEA. Covers notification, placement documentation, interim services, and parent communication.
View Protocol — $199Document Preservation — SPED Litigation Hold
A records preservation protocol for districts facing or anticipating SPED-related litigation. Covers hold notices, custodian identification, electronic records, and chain of custody.
View Protocol — $199Why Role-Based Protocols
School districts face a structural problem in compliance events: the people who need to act in the first 72 hours are not attorneys. They are directors of special education, building administrators, and compliance staff. They need to know what to do, in what order, and when to stop and escalate.
Engler protocols assign every action to a role, not an individual. When staff turn over during an active dispute, the protocol continues. A replacement can pick up the sequence at the current step without reconstructing the response. The protocol functions as institutional memory that does not leave when an employee does.
Regulatory Foundation
All protocols in the Engler library are grounded in the procedural requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. §§ 1400–1482, and implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 300. Where applicable, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and its implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 104 are also addressed. State-specific requirements vary and are not covered.
Scope & Limitations
These protocols reflect general federal requirements under IDEA and Section 504. State-specific requirements vary and are not addressed. Protocols are current as of the version date. Regulatory changes after that date are not reflected. Use of these protocols does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Licensing
Individual Protocol: $199 (perpetual, single user). District License: $1,500/year (full library, unlimited users within district). District + Training: $3,000/year. Consortium and risk pool pricing available on request. See portfolio licensing for risk pools and carriers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in a protocol?
Each protocol includes a step-by-step operational response sequence with time-bound actions, role assignments, escalation triggers, stop conditions, and communication templates. Protocols are delivered as watermarked PDFs.
Are these protocols legal advice?
No. These are operational tools designed to reduce procedural errors. They do not constitute legal advice and do not create an attorney-client relationship. Consult qualified SPED defense counsel for legal guidance specific to your situation.
Can we use these across our entire district?
Individual protocols are licensed for single-user use. The District License ($1,500/year) covers unlimited users within a single district. Contact us for consortium pricing covering multiple districts.
How often are protocols updated?
Protocols are updated when regulatory changes, litigation trends, or field use reveal the need to revise operational sequencing or escalation triggers. District and consortium licensees receive updates during their license term at no additional cost.
Do you collect student data?
No. Engler Education Risk does not collect, process, or store any student data or personally identifiable information. There are no FERPA implications from using these protocols.
Developed By
Engler protocols are developed by Teri Engler, J.D. (Loyola University Chicago, 1980), a school law attorney whose practice has been concentrated in special education and disability law for over four decades.
Ms. Engler has represented school districts and special education cooperatives throughout Illinois in administrative and judicial proceedings under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. She is admitted to the Bars of the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Ms. Engler has served as Adjunct Professor at Loyola University’s School of Law and School of Education, and on the Illinois Attorney General’s Special Committee on Special Education. She lectures regularly at national and state conferences on special education law, including programs hosted by LRP Publications, the Council of Administrators of Special Education, and the Education Law Association. The second edition of her resource guide, Assistive Technology In Special Education, was published by LRP Publications in 2018. She has been recognized by Chicago Magazine as an Illinois Super Lawyer in schools and education.