May 11, 2026
Supreme Court of Virginia OES Seeks Hearing Officers for Department of Education
The Supreme Court of Virginia, Office of the Executive Secretary (OES), is seeking applicants interested in serving as hearing officers for Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) special education cases.
VDOE special education cases are due process hearings likely to involve disputes between a parent and local school division over the appropriateness or nature of a student’s program or services. These cases have strict deadlines set by federal law, and hearing officers who hear these cases are responsible for managing those timelines and rendering timely decisions.
Minimum qualifications for hearing officers are contained in the Hearing Officer System Rules of Administration (the Hearing Officer Rules). In addition to the general training required for all hearing officers, new special education hearing officers are also required to complete an intensive one-week specialized training provided by VDOE, which generally qualifies for CLE credits. The next special education training will likely be scheduled in early 2027.
Qualified applicants should submit their application materials, as outlined in Hearing Officer Rule 2, to the Executive Secretary at [email protected] and copy [email protected]. If the Executive Secretary provisionally appoints the applicant to the OES hearing officer list for special education cases, the applicant will then be asked to complete a separate VDOE application and, upon acceptance by VDOE, complete the specialized VDOE training before hearing special education cases.
For any questions related to special education hearings or the VDOE application and training, please contact Kathryn Jones ([email protected]) or Hallie Bereny ([email protected]). For any questions about the initial OES hearing officer application and appointment, please contact Brooke Weedon ([email protected]).