CONNECTICUT — The State Department of Education has appointed Kathleen Reiser as its dedicated special education attorney, adding legal support for complaint investigations and compliance oversight, the agency announced October 21.
The position is in the Office of Legal and Governmental Affairs. The department said it addresses a recommendation from an independent WestEd review to strengthen legal expertise in the state’s special education complaint process.
Reiser most recently directed the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Office of Adjudications, where her responsibilities included administrative hearings, mediation, staff management and office procedures. She previously practiced special education law at the Law Office of Courtney P. Spencer, according to the announcement.
For families and districts, the appointment concerns the state’s capacity to investigate and review complaints. It does not announce an outcome in any individual student’s case.
CSDE said it has also introduced a two-tier legal and supervisory review process and formal sufficiency-letter procedures. The department reports that complaints are being assigned within one to two business days.
The agency said 97 percent of complaints in its 2025–26 reporting period were resolved within the required 60-day timeline, with all complaints since April 10 resolved on time. Those figures are the department’s reported measures, rather than an independent audit by Eastern CT News.
The department also described ongoing review of the Connecticut Special Education Data System and broader work on educator training, workforce shortages and collaboration with families. The attorney appointment is one part of that continuing effort.