1. Service of the Answer with Cross-Appeal
After you have prepared the Answer with Cross-Appeal and Affidavit of Verification, make two copies. One copy of the Answer with Cross-Appeal must be served (i.e. delivered) upon the school district either by personal delivery, U.S. mail, or overnight delivery service (i.e. UPS or FedEx) to the school district or the school district's attorney(s) who signed the request for review. If you do not serve the Answer with Cross-Appeal on the school district's attorney, service must be made upon the school district clerk, any trustee or member of the Board of Education, the superintendent of schools, or a person in the superintendent's office who has been designated by the Board to accept service. Service of the Answer with Cross-Appeal must occur within the timeline unless a State Review Officer has granted your request for an extension of the timeline.
2. Affidavit of Service
a. An Affidavit of Service is a written form that states how the papers were served. The Affidavit of Service must be signed by the person who served the school district with the documents in front of a notary public. You should make a copy of the Affidavit of Service for your records.
b. You may hand-deliver an Answer with Cross-Appeal, but hand-delivery is not required (see below for mailing instructions). If the Answer with Cross-Appeal is hand-delivered to the school district, the person who delivered the Answer with Cross-Appeal must sign an Affidavit of Personal Service (Form E / Form E). The Affidavit of Personal Service must include:
- What papers were delivered
- Who delivered the papers
- Where the papers were delivered
- The date and time the papers were delivered, and
- A description of the person to whom the papers were given.
c. If the Answer with Cross-Appeal is served by mail or overnight delivery service, the person who mailed the Answer with Cross-Appeal must sign an Affidavit of Service by Mail (Form F / Form F).
3. Filing with the Office of State Review
Within 2 calendar days of the date that the Answer with Cross-Appeal was served on the school district, the originals of the Answer with Cross-Appeal, the Affidavit of Verification and the Affidavit of Service must be mailed to the State Review Officer at the following address:
Office of State Review
New York State Education Department
80 Wolf Road, Suite 203
Albany, NY 12205
4. Improper Service/Filing of an Answer with Cross-Appeal
If you fail to properly serve your Answer with Cross-Appeal upon the school district within the timeline or your extended timeline, the school district may be prevented from responding your Cross-Appeal and the State Review Officer may be required to dismiss your Cross-Appeal.
If you neglect to file your Answer with Cross-Appeal with the Office of State Review, the State Review Officer will not know that you have prepared one and will have no way to address your Answer with Cross-Appeal at all. The State Review Officer will be required to issue a final decision within the decision timeline, regardless of whether or not you file your Answer with Cross-Appeal.