Special Education Law and Advocacy
“Don’t take Tylenol. Just don’t take it,” says the President of the United States, who has no degree or experience in medicine or science. He claims that “Assa – let’s see how we pronounce this . . . Assetam . . . Asseetametafin . . . is that good?” is the cause of Autism and […]
We in the special education world have long condemned the use of the ‘R’ word. Just google “don’t spread the ‘r’ word” and you get tons of results. The reasons for this are many. (1) It is harmful to people with Intellectual Disabilities (which is no fault of their own); (2) It is grossly inaccurate; […]
[This is an opinion piece by SchoolKidsLawyer.com] As part of Donald Trump’s flurry of executive orders and initial actions of his second presidency, he has promised to get rid of the U.S. Department of Education. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-he-wants-education-department-be-closed-immediately-2025-02-12/ This is horrible, cruel and illegal. You may already know this, but one of the critical roles of the […]
Frequently I am asked what someone’s state law says about special education. Another variation is people say, “OK, I understand that is the law in [New Jersey or Texas or California], but what about in my state?” Hopefully this blog post will clear up this misunderstanding. _ One tip before I go farther: Don’t look […]
How does your child with a disability become eligible for special education and related services? For starters, it is not simply having a disability. Read on to understand this process from a legal perspective. First step is that either you or one of the teachers (or school staff) suspect your child has a disability. This […]
Wait, what? You are probably having that reaction to the title, but it is the law. A medical diagnosis – by itself – is not enough to qualify your child for an IEP or special education. Let me give you some examples before I cite you the law. Example 1: Tara is a 9 year […]
ESY stands for Extended School Year and is special education and related services provided to a student with a disability during periods the public school is not in session. The following will break this down into more specifics. The Law The regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provide as follows: “Each public […]
Dedication: I dedicate this article to a truly inspiring child advocate and professor, the late Irwin Hyman, Ed.D., who fostered my education throughout my time at Temple University. He was a man of brilliance, boundless energy, and intense devotion to the well-being of children. He had a vision of change and helped his students to […]
Filed today is a Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking the Justices take up a case involving burden of proof in a special education case when a school district or public agency seeks to change the placement of a child with a disability. The question presented is: Under the Individuals […]
Before I answer the question in the title, let me share a true story. I appeared before a special ed hearing officer on behalf of a child with a disability – let’s call the child Chris (changed to protect identity). Chris has severe learning disabilities and is far behind age-equivalent peers. Chris does not do […]
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