Colorado

The published process

Placement during a dispute

Your child must remain (referred to as "stay put") in the current educational placement while a due process complaint is in progress; "Your child’s current educational placement is the one described in the most recently implemented IEP." "You do not need to request" stay-put "because this happens automatically when you file a due process complaint. The purpose of the stay-put provision is to ensure that your child’s educational program is not disrupted while the dispute is resolved. The stay-put provision only applies if you file a due process complaint. Stay-put is not available for mediation or state complaints." — A Guide to Parent Rights, Child’s Status During Due Process, retrieved Aug 25, 2026

Independent evaluation at public expense

"As a parent, you have the right to request that the school district pay for an independent educational evaluation (IEE) for your child, which may include" reimbursing the parent for a private evaluation already paid for. "The school district will pay for an IEE only if it has already done its own evaluation of your child, and you disagree with the results of the evaluation. You have the right to one (1) IEE paid for by the school district for each time the district evaluates your child and you disagree with the district’s evaluation results." — A Guide to Parent Rights, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEE)

Who may be present, and what record is made

"In a due process hearing, you have the right to:" "Have your child who is the subject of the hearing be present;" "Request that the hearing be open to the public;" "Have your lawyer or people with special knowledge of children with disabilities be with you and advise you;" "Present evidence (proof), confront and cross-examine (question) witnesses and require the attendance of witnesses" (note: the hearing will address only the issues raised in the complaint, unless the school district agrees to let new issues be raised); "Keep any evidence from being introduced that has not been shown to you at least five business days before the hearing; and" "Receive a transcript (word-for-word written record) of the hearing and decision of the ALJ at no cost." — A Guide to Parent Rights, Hearing Rights. Recording of IEP Team meetings, as distinct from due process hearings, is not stated in the sources reviewed (the notice, the Dispute Resolution overview page, and the Dispute Resolution Options in Comparison page were searched); district policies may address it.

The three rows above answer the questions an experienced adviser raises first, from the state’s own published documents, or record that a question is not answered in them.

Timelines, as stated in the sources

All quoted; none calculated. From A Guide to Parent Rights in Special Education except where noted.

On mediation: "Mediation is typically scheduled within 30 days from the day that both sides agree to mediate." The comparison chart states: "Typically, mediations are completed within 30 calendar days of a mediation request." (Mediation; Dispute Resolution Options in Comparison page)

On state complaints: "A state complaint may be filed with the CDE any time within one (1) year of the alleged special education violation. Alleged violations that occurred more than one year from the date the complaint was filed will not be investigated/resolved." "The SCO must complete the investigation and provide a written decision to resolve the complaint within 60 calendar days." (Filing a State Complaint; State Complaint Process)

On requesting a due process hearing: "The due process complaint must allege that federal (IDEA) or state (ECEA) special education requirements have been violated and must be filed within two years of the date the complainant (parent or public education agency filing the complaint) knew or should have known about the alleged special education violation at issue." (Due Process Complaint, Reasons to File)

On the resolution process: "The 45-day due process hearing timeline begins after the 30-day resolution period ends or after" the parties agree in writing to waive the resolution meeting, agree in writing that no agreement is possible, or agree to extend mediation past the 30-day period and then withdraw. The comparison chart adds: "The AU must convene a resolution meeting within 15 days of a properly filed complaint." (The Hearing Process; Dispute Resolution Options in Comparison page)

On the hearing decision: "The ALJ may agree to grant an extension (give more time) at the request of one of the parties within the 45-day hearing timeline. If a hearing is held, a decision must be issued by the ALJ and a copy will be sent by certified mail to you, the school district, and the CDE." (The Hearing Process)

On appeal: "The party aggrieved (that does not prevail or win) in the ALJ decision has the right to file a lawsuit in a federal district court within 90 days from the date of the ALJ’s decision." — matching the federal default recorded for Alaska and Arkansas, longer than Alabama’s (30 days) or Arizona’s (35 days). (Appealing a Decision)

On discipline: "If the school district removes your child from their current placement for more than 10 consecutive school days in the same school year, it is considered a change of your child’s educational placement." "The IEP team must hold this meeting within 10 school days of any decision to change their educational placement through the student code of conduct" (manifestation determination). "Even if your child’s behavior was caused by your child’s disability, the school district may remove your child to an IAES for up to 45 school days" if the child carried a weapon, knowingly possessed or sold illegal drugs or a controlled substance, or inflicted serious bodily injury. For an expedited hearing, "The expedited due process complaint timeline includes a resolution period of 15 calendar days and a hearing timeline of 20 school days. The school district must schedule a resolution meeting within seven calendar days of receiving a due process complaint. After an expedited due process hearing ends, the ALJ has 10 school days to write a final decision and provide it to you and the school district. No extensions to the timelines will be allowed during an expedited due process complaint." (Manifestation Determination; Interim Alternative Educational Setting; Expedited Due Process Complaints and Timeline)

What any of this means for a particular situation is for the agency and its processes to determine.

Change log

Aug 25, 2026 · Page created (pilot). Captured first-party: A Guide to Parent Rights in Special Education (PDF text, full April 2024 document retrieved including appendices), the Dispute Resolution overview page, and the Dispute Resolution Options in Comparison page (with its CADRE-sourced comparison chart). Findings recorded rather than smoothed: (1) Colorado’s anchor notice is a plain-language guide rather than a reprint of the federal OSEP model notice, so its quoted language reflects the state’s own phrasing; (2) due process hearings are conducted by the Office of Administrative Courts, a separate state agency from CDE, structurally similar to Arizona’s OAH; (3) the notice’s own cover page lists the ESSU parent-questions email with a doubled domain typo, Parents_ESSUquestions@cde.state.co.us.us, while Appendix B of the same document gives the correct address without the doubled suffix; (4) Disability Law Colorado’s phone number differs between two locations within the same notice — Appendix B versus the Section C body text — for the same organization; (5) the live Dispute Resolution web page names "Student Defense Alliance" for appointed counsel when an administrative unit files due process against a parent who prevailed on a state complaint, while the notice’s Appendix B instead names "Transformative Justice Project" for school-discipline legal representation; these may be the same service under a different name or two distinct services — recorded as published in each document, not reconciled; (6) recording of IEP Team meetings, as distinct from due process hearings, is not addressed in the sources reviewed. Capture pending: the Model State Complaint and Due Process Complaint forms, the Spanish-language notice, the CADRE Quick Guide PDF itself, Appendix A and Appendix D of the notice, and the current ALJ list. Internet Archive captures: to be added. Reviewer: Carrie Schluter, reviewed 2026-08-25. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.