Search Tips

1Basic Search

Enter one or more words to search across all BSEA decisions and rulings. By default, all terms must appear in the document (AND logic).

autism iep

Finds documents containing both "autism" AND "iep"

2Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT)

Use Boolean operators to refine your search. AND is the default; use OR to broaden your search, and NOT or a minus sign (-) to exclude terms.

autism OR dyslexia

Finds documents with either term (broadens search)

autism NOT hearing

Finds "autism" but excludes documents mentioning "hearing"

compensatory -denied

Alternative syntax: minus sign excludes a term

3Exact Phrase Search

Use quotation marks to search for an exact phrase. Words must appear in the exact order specified.

"extended school year"

Finds the exact phrase "extended school year"

"free appropriate public education"

Finds the exact phrase "FAPE"

4Wildcards (* and !)

Use wildcards to match variations of a word. The asterisk (*) and exclamation point (!) both match any characters.

educat*

Matches education, educational, educating, educator, etc.

assess!

Matches assess, assessment, assessing, assessor, etc.

neuro*

Matches neurological, neuropsychological, neurodevelopmental, etc.

5Proximity Search (/n, /s, /p)

Find words that appear near each other. Use /n to specify within n words, /s for same sentence, or /p for same paragraph.

iep /5 autism

Finds "iep" within 5 words of "autism"

compensatory /s services

Finds both terms in the same sentence

parent /p prevailed

Finds both terms in the same paragraph

6Field Search

Search within specific fields by using field:value syntax. Available fields: date, year, officer, district, type, outcome.

autism officer:oliver

Search for "autism" in decisions by Hearing Officer Oliver

compensatory district:boston year:2024

Search for "compensatory" in Boston Public Schools cases from 2024

type:ruling outcome:parent

Find rulings where parents prevailed

Combining Techniques

Combine multiple search techniques for powerful, precise searches.

"extended school year" autism officer:oliver

Exact phrase + keyword + field search

compens* /5 services year:2024 -denied

Wildcard + proximity + year filter + exclusion

neuropsych* OR "psychological evaluation" district:cambridge

Wildcard OR phrase + district filter

Quick Reference

Boolean Operators

AND — All terms required (default)
OR — Any term matches
NOT or - — Exclude term

Wildcards

* — Matches any characters
! — Root expander

Proximity

/n — Within n words
/s — Same sentence
/p — Same paragraph

Field Searches

officer: — Hearing officer
district: — District or agency
year: — Decision year
type: — decision/ruling
outcome: — parent/district/mixed

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