Special Education Help Line for Parents From the Office for Dispute Resolution
ConsultLine is a help line run by the Office for Dispute Resolution that connects parents and advocates directly with a special education specialist. The specialist explains federal and state laws relating to special education, describes the options available to parents, informs parents of procedural safeguards, identifies other agencies and support services, and describes available remedies and how parents can proceed.
It is for parents and advocates of children with disabilities or children thought to be disabled, including parent and advocacy organizations. You can call with any questions about your child's special education program or about the laws relating to the services in your child's Individualized Educational Program, known as an IEP. School district staff are asked not to use this line and to call the Bureau of Special Education's main number instead, 717-783-6913.
Before you call, the suggested steps are to call your child's teacher, counselor and/or the principal, and to discuss the situation with your school district's special education director. If neither step resolves your concern, call ConsultLine.
Call 1-800-879-2301. A parent or advocate can call and leave a message anytime, and calls are returned in the order they are received. When you leave your message, identify yourself, the child and where the child is enrolled in school, and describe your concern and any special circumstances. Have something ready to take notes when the specialist calls you back, because the return call is when you get the information.
If the ConsultLine adviser cannot answer all of your questions, the Office for Dispute Resolution may help. ODR coordinates and manages Pennsylvania's special education mediation and due process system, and provides help with procedural safeguards to parents, advocates, school districts and intermediate units. The ODR office phone is 1-800-222-3353, and the TTY number is 1-800-654-5984.
The page does not say what ConsultLine costs, so ask when you call, and it does not say how long it takes to get a call back.
Source: pa.gov/services/education/call-the-special-education-in-p…, read September 18, 2026.
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When your call is received, you will leave a message for a specialist the following information: Identify yourself, the child, and where he or she is enrolled in school. Describe your concern and special circumstances. When you receive a return call, the specialist will give you helpful information so have something ready to take notes.
In Office for Dispute Resolution’s words
ConsultLine provides a direct help line to a special education specalist. If you're a family member of a special education student or an advocate, call ConsultLine with questions and concerns. The special education system can seem confusing. ConsultLine, a service of the Office for Dispute Resolution , is available to assist. The helpline provides assistance for families and advocates of children with special needs.
Organization
Office for Dispute Resolution
About this listing
This listing summarizes publicly available information from pa.gov/services/education/call-the-special-education-in-p…. Last recorded review: September 18, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.