Expert Witness Services
Dr. Howie Knoff
Expert Witness Testimony and Due Process Representation
School/Educational Psychology, School Law, Special Education and Disability, Safety and Personal Rights, and Related Litigation Areas
Licensed Psychologist/ Nationally Certified School Psychologist
As a licensed doctoral psychologist (FL), a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, and an authority on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and related federal disability laws (e.g., ADA/Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973), Howie has been an Expert Witness in innumerable Federal and State Court cases, as well as Due Process Hearings and mediations since 1993—testifying on behalf of parents, school districts, and state education departments.
These cases have largely focused on special (and general) education law (IDEA and ESEA), disability rights, child and adolescent psychology and mental health issues, disproportionality and racial discrimination, sexual abuse in school, bullying and school discipline (including corporal punishment), emotionally disturbed students and those on the autism spectrum, and seclusion and restraints. He has also supported cases addressing even broader psychological issues (see below).
Howie has been the Expert Witness for (a) two State Attorney Generals (one case on autism and corporal punishment; the other on state-wide seclusions and restraints); (b) many state Office of Disability Rights special education disputes; (c) cases involving the discrimination and abuse of Black students; (d) sexual abuse and 504/accommodation cases; and (e) other litigation involving the physical segregation of students with autism across an entire school district. In the early 90s, he was the Expert Witness for four consecutive racial discrimination cases in Montgomery, AL in Federal Court. His research and testimony not only helped win those cases, but the Judge ruled that he would work with the District for the next two years relative to reparations. Two of those cases involved the precedent-setting Chris D. and Cory R. cases.
More specifically, Howie has provided Federal, State, and Due Process testimony in cases involving:
- Disabled students' right to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE)
- Alternative school placements, suspensions, and manifestation decisions
- Corporal punishment and disproportionate discipline for students of color and with disabilities
- Discrimination of Black students and denial of their equal rights
- Bullying and Physical Abuse of students
- State personnel development and support systems
- Appropriate multi-tiered services to students with autism, emotional disturbances, learning disabilities, and other mental health needs
- The adequacy of 504 and Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and academic and behavioral intervention programs/plans
- The provision and use of social-emotional learning and positive behavioral interventions and supports.
Howie received his Ph.D. from Syracuse University in School Psychology. There, he took special education law and advocacy courses from some of the historical figures responsible for the Education for All Handicapped Children's Act (CLICK for Blog Article). After working in the field as a school psychologist (MA, NY); he taught at two Research I Universities (SUNY-Albany and then primarily at the University of South Florida) for over 20 years in their doctoral School Psychology Programs--leaving as a tenured Full Professor with over 100 publications; he then worked in the Special Education Unit at the Arkansas Department of Education for 13 years as the Special Projects Coordinator for the state's Director of Special Education; and he has consulted in schools across the world for over 40 years.
He also was the 21st President of the National Association of School Psychologists which now represents over 25,000 school psychologists.
If you need a licensed (school) psychologist with a winning track record as an expert witness to represent you, your child, your district, or your agency, Howie would be happy to provide a free initial consultation.
To review a sample list of his recent and past Federal, State, and Due Process expert witness cases, and Howie's Expert Witness Fee Schedule, CLICK THE LINKS BELOW:
