Intended to aid in the implementation of Public Law 93-380 (Education Amendments of 1974) and Public Law 94-142 (Education for All Handicapped Children Act), the manual provides guidelines for South Carolina hearing officers when parents of handicapped children and local education agencies disagree about evaluation, placement, changes in educational placement, or accuracy of educational records. The section on laws and litigation pertaining to the handicapped considers South Carolina state law, federal laws (Public Law 93-380, Public Law 94-142, and Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act) and significant court decisions. Substantive due process and procedural due process are briefly explained next. The hearing officer's roles and responsibilities are considered in the third section. Procedures prior to, during, and after a hearing are outlined. The final section examines appeal procedures: procedures/content of appeal, procedures of the State Education Agency hearing officer after receiving an appeal, procedures during a review, and procedures subsequent to a review. Appended are supplementary information and state policies regarding least restrictive alternative, non-discriminatory testing and placement, confidentiality, the individualized education program; and charts dealing with evaluation and placement and hearing procedures. (DB)