Special Education Law and Advocacy
School board attorneys have managed to turn special education due process hearings into all-out, scorched Earth lawsuits, as if it was Microsoft vs. IBM. In fact, they have convinced administrative hearing officers and judges that this is the way it should be. But Due Process cases are not supposed to be full-blown litigation. Here are […]
An Open Letter to the Williamson County (TN) School Board and Williamson County (TN) Commission from a Concerned Parent . . . [Reprinted with permission. Names withheld to protect the identity of the child.] Dear County Commissioners and School Board Members, I am writing regarding a resolution that both the Williamson County School Board […]
Perhaps one of the most confusing parts of special education law for parents (and some schools) is who is on the IEP team. There are both “mandatory” members of the IEP team as well as “permissive” members. IDEA makes this very clear. Mandatory Members of the IEP Team There are five (5) mandatory members of […]
I’m going to tell you something about myself, but first I’m going to tell you a story. You’ll wonder for a paragraph or two where this is going, but stick with me. You will learn why this post is on my special education law blog. What is a “Michigan Man”? There are many articles and […]
A client recently told me they received a notice for an “evaluation meeting”. Huh? I asked, do you mean an IEP meeting? The client wasn’t sure because the notice said just that – evaluation meeting. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN EVALUATION MEETING! Since I figured school districts are trying to confuse parents by […]
A new tactic being used by schools against parents of children with disabilities is to require / funnel all communications with the school through one person, usually the case manager. We’ve seen numerous questions by parents if this is illegal or whether parents can request two-way communication be listed as an accommodation in the IEP. […]
You probably know what bullying is. You may not know what a Gebser Letter is or what it does. Sit down, grab your cup of coffee and read on. The Effects of Bullying First things first. It is now widely accepted as fact that children with disabilities are more likely to be bullied than their […]
You pay federal taxes. You have schools in your town. Those schools have special education programs. If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably a parent of a child with special needs. Well, guess what? If you have a dispute with your school about your child’s IEP or otherwise not meeting your child’s special education needs, […]
Recently I was asked to explain what a “reasonable accommodation” is. The person put the question in some context: Their child’s “special education school thinks a table in classroom with curtain is a reasonable accommodation for his bathroom needs. The class is coed teenagers with different cognitive and physical abilities.” I doubt this is a […]
Having an audio recording of what happens in an IEP meeting is powerful evidence, especially when school districts deny what was said or fail to put a service in writing into the IEP. For example, an audio recording can prove or disprove what was actually discussed during the meeting, whether the parents were given proper […]
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