Diane Wiscarson

Diane Wiscarson JD ’96 won a case for the Frank family, who sued the Hood River County (Oregon) School District for denying their 9-year-old autistic son the education to which he was entitled. In his July 2, 2020, order, Oregon Administrative Law Judge Joe L. Allen wrote that the district didn’t provide the support the child needed, thereby violating the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. He ordered the district to pay for 900 hours of compensatory education—the equivalent of a school year—and mandated special education training for district staff. The district contested the ruling, but a July 1, 2021, order by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon affirmed the previous decision. The Hood River County School District has filed a notice to appeal the ruling a second time, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Diane Wiscarson JD ’96 worked alongside client Audra Marsh to prevail in a due process complaint filed with the Oregon Department of Education in January 2017. The State of Oregon’s Office of Administrative Hearings issued its final order on April 5, 2018, declaring that the Dallas School District violated the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and denied Marsh’s daughter a free appropriate public education. Wiscarson Law has shepherded thousands of Oregon and Washington families through the region’s public school districts and educational service districts on behalf of their special-needs children. To contact the firm, phone 503-727-0202 or go to wiscarsonlawllc.com.

Relocated the headquarters of Wiscarson Law, the only firm in Oregon to dedicate its practice primarily to special education law for families, to 3330 NW Yeon Avenue, Portland, Oregon, 97210. In addition to special education law, Wiscarson Law provides legal counsel for other disability-related issues, such as guardianship and higher education, and provides assistance with navigating agency services. Wiscarson and her staff have shepherded thousands of Oregon and Washington families through the region’s public school districts and educational service districts on behalf of their special needs children. She can be reached at 503-727-0202 and www.wiscarsonlaw.com.