Jake McElligott

Hearing Officer McElligott has been helping school districts and the parents of special needs children resolve disputes since 1994, first as a member, and co-chair, of the Pennsylvania Special Education Appeals Panel from 1994-2006 and as a hearing officer since 2008, when Pennsylvania adopted a one-tier due process system.  He is a certified hearing officer through the National Association of Hearing Officers.  He is also trained in special education mediation. For many years, Hearing Officer McElligott was an administrator at the School of Education at Duquesne University.  He holds a bachelors degree from Penn State University and a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh, a masters degree in education from Duquesne University, where he also engaged in doctoral studies in educational leadership.  Hearing Officer McElligott is a member of the Pennsylvania bar and is certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in secondary English and secondary social studies.  In addition to his university administration experience, he has engaged in private law practice, and taught social studies in public and private high schools, as well as a wide array of university courses, including school law.  As an author, he has published book chapters on both school counseling and school law. He is often invited to speak on special education law, and hearing officer practice, at local, regional, and national conferences.