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The National Center on Dispute Resolution in Special Education

"Encouraging the use of mediation and other collaborative strategies to resolve disagreements about special
education and early intervention programs."
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Drummond Woodsum & MacMahon

Michael Opuda Drummond Woodsum & MacMahon
84 Marginal Way
Suite 600
Portland, ME 04101
Telephone: 207-772-1941
Fax: 207-772-3627
E-Mail: mjo@dwmlaw.com
Website: http://www.dwmlaw.com
Michael Opuda is a special education consultant for the law firm of Drummond Woodsum and MacMahon. He provides consultation and technical assistance to public schools in Maine and the state departments of education in the New England area. His areas of expertise include dispute resolution, special education law and policy and special education administration. Previously he was the Due Process Coordinator for the Maine Department of Education. He was responsible for the management of Maine's special education dispute resolution system including consultation, technical assistance, mediations, complaint investigations and due process hearings. Michael is a frequent presenter at state, regional, and national conferences concerning special education law and dispute resolution. He has been employed as a special education teacher, administrator, parent advocate and adjunct faculty at the University of Maine.

Services Offered

  • Advocate
  • Conflict Prevention
  • Conflict Resolution System Design
  • Educator - Administrator
  • Educator - Special Education
  • Facilitator - Group
  • Facilitator - IEP
  • Facilitator - IFSP
  • Mediation Services - ADA
  • Parent of Child with Disability

Academic Degrees

B.A., M.Ed., Ph.D.

Special Education and Conflict Resolution Experience

Special education teacher, administrator, advocate, state department of education consultant, university faculty - Dr. Opuda has represented children in due process hearings, conducted complaint investigations and mediated special education disputes. He has provided training, consultation and supervision to hearing officers, complaint investigators and mediators in Maine and New Hampshire.

He has been responsible for the drafting and revising the Maine Special Education Regulations in 1988, 1992, 1995 and 1999. Most recently, Dr. Opuda has used a collaborative rule making process for incorporating the IDEA'97 amendments within the 1999 revisions.

Research interests include participant's perceptions of dispute resolution systems, alternative dispute resolution, special education administration, and special education law.

Practicing in

Maine