The Wrightslaw Way

Date: July 11, 2013
Event: Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Training
Location: Portland, OR.
Speaker: Pete Wright, Esq.

Date: July 19, 2013
Event: Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Training
Location: San Diego, CA
Speaker: Pete Wright, Esq.

Parents, attorneys and advocates will learn:

• Special education law, rights and responsibilities
• Tests & Measurements to measure progress & regression
• SMART IEPs
• Introduction to tactics & strategies for effective advocacy
• Requirements in No Child Left Behind

Check out all Wrightslaw conferences through 2014.

See you on the West Coast!

Tags:   Advocacy · Conference · IDEA 2004 · Special Education Law · special education trainingNo Comments.

Please share this training opportunity with friends, family and co-workers! Read past conference comments. Don’t miss out!

The University of San Diego Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice is the setting for this Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Conference.

Join Pete Wright, Esq. and sponsors, the Dyslexia Training Institute for this special event specific to dyslexia.

Registration fee includes Continental Breakfast, plated lunch and three Wrightslaw books. 6 CLEs (continuing legal education) credits and graduate extension credit through the University of San Diego will be available.

Click here to register online.

Click here to download the conference flyer.

See you in San Diego!

Tags:   Advocacy · autism · IEPs · Parent advocacy · Special Education Law · special education trainingNo Comments.

I am searching for guidelines for special ed advocates. Are there legal requirements for becoming an advocate?

There is no formal process and currently no national certification for advocates.

Try to attend a Wrightslaw program – great training and networking with other advocates who can give you advice.

You will find the schedule of Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy  training programs here. http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/schedule.htm

A good source of training (without the networking) is our Special Education Law and Advocacy Training Program on CD-ROM. Info can be found here: http://www.wrightslaw.com/webex/law.adv.index.htm

For Advanced Advocates

William and Mary Law School Institute of Special Education Advocacy ISEA.

http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/13.07.va.wm.htm

View the Slideshow from ISEA 2012.

LIVE Blogging from ISEA 2012. [Read more →]

Tags:   Advocacy · Advocacy Resources · advocacy training · Advocates · Institute of Special Education Advocacy · ISEA · Parent advocatesNo Comments.

***Limited Time Only! Save 25%…over $40.00 in savings.

Advocates Combo with Free Wright Tote – Includes – Special Education Law (print and PDF download versions), From Emotions to Advocacy, (print and PDF download versions), All about IEPs, Surviving Due Process DVD, 6.5 hour Special Education Law and Advocacy Training CD-Rom and a FREE Wright Tote – $129.95.

…Three Wrightslaw Books, two searchable PDF downloads, one DVD, one 6.5 hour Wrightslaw Training CD Rom and a Free Wright Tote for $129.95.

Order Today and Save.

For all Wrightslaw books and training CD-Roms click here.

Tags: No Comments.

I went to the school to ask if my son will be promoted to the 6th grade.  They say I must wait till the last day of school to know.  The school will not tell me any thing. They are very rude to me. What should I do?

How closely have you monitored your son’s progress this year?

• What does his report card say?
• Is he failing at school?
• Has the school discussed retaining him in 5th grade?
• Does he have an IEP? Are you an active member of the IEP team?

Teachers should monitor your son’s progress throughout the year. Ongoing discussions with staff, progress reports, tests and assessments should show if he is failing.  The school should let a parent know when their child is at risk of failing throughout the school year and provide interventions to prevent failure and provide support.

Do your research on the pros (if any) and cons of Retention, Delays, and Social Promotion. http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/retain.index.htm

What are your school’s promotion criteria?  Your school should provide parents the necessary requirements for your child to move on to the next grade level.  Some schools call these “promotion standards.” Do you have a copy of these requirements?  Have you requested the requirements from the school? If you are unaware of the requirements, it’s time to get a copy.

Schools should also have a written policy about when and how they provide notice to the parents about whether your child met the requirements.  Many schools don’t provide notice until the very end of the school year.

I can’t explain why the school is not responding to your requests for information – except to say “if it is not written down, it was never said (or asked).”  If you want answers to your questions you must put your requests in writing.

You need to learn how to advocate for your son to get what he needs at school.  [Read more →]

Tags:   parent power · Parent Rights · progress monitoring · promotion criteria · retention · Social Promotion · unwritten school policy1 Comment

My child has a learning disability. Her Individual Education Plan (IEP) puts her in general education with accommodation. She also receives one hour of pullout reading services each day. She excels in this placement.

The school wants to place her in a special education team-taught class because she has an IEP. I want her to continue in general education classes with accommodations. What are her legal rights?

What Does IDEA Say about LRE?

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) gives a qualifying child with a disability the right to an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that provides a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). [Read more →]

Tags:   FAPE · IEPs · LRE · Special Education2 Comments

Be sure to register soon! Seats are filling up fast.

Happy Valley sounds like a great location for a Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Training!

Pete Wright, Esq. and sponsors Kikaua, LLC welcome you to join them on July 11, 2013 for this special one-day event.

Registration includes morning refreshments, box lunch or salad, afternoon coffee break and three Wrightslaw books.

One-day special education law and advocacy programs focus on four areas:

• special education law, rights and responsibilities
• tests and measurements to measure progress & regression
• SMART IEPs
• introduction to tactics & strategies for effective advocacy

Register Online or download the registration form.

See you in Happy Valley!

Tags:   Advocacy · Conference · IEPs · Parent advocacy · Parental Rights · Special Education Law · special education trainingNo Comments.

Subtitle: Why you may need a trip to a COPAA conference to relax.

1.    You thought the OSEP’s MOU on NCLB’s AYP came from CDC and was about another STD.

2.    You are were actually able to follow #1.

3.    You asked the Advocate Committee to research OCR guidance on the impact of the Albuquerque’s 5000 ft altitude on blood alcohol levels.

4.    At the last IEP meeting, you mentioned a potato launcher was indeed an assistive technology device and you could request in-home training for it. [Read more →]

Tags:   Advocacy · COPAA · The Lighter Side of Special EducationNo Comments.

Take advantage of our 25% OFF SALE and order Wrightslaw Books and CD’s today.

http://www.wrightslaw.com/store/index.html

Get clear and concise answers to your special education questions. Wrightslaw publications and training CD-Roms can help!

SALE Thursday, May 9, 2013 through midnight, Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

You must use the Online Promo Code when placing your order to receive the discount.   Promo Code   1366141078

If ordering online is not your thing…just give us a call. Use our toll free line at 877-529-4332.

Take advantage of the savings and order today!  http://www.wrightslaw.com/store/index.html

You can take advantage of this 25% OFF SALE by sending a check or money order made payable to Harbor House Law Press, Inc, and mail to P.O. Box 480, Hartfield, VA 23071. Be sure to include this coupon with your order form.

Tags:   May Sale 25% OFF · Wrightslaw Products · Wrightslaw StoreNo Comments.

From Jim Comstock-Galagan

The recent amendments to Section 504 and the ADAA greatly expanded coverage under Section 504/ADA. The ADA Amendments Act, Public Law No. 110–325 (2008), overturned Supreme Court precedent that narrowed coverage under the ADA and Section 504.

The reauthorized law provided that impairments should be considered in their unmitigated state and widened the definition of major life activities set out in the statute’s coverage provision.

There are ways to use Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA). Read A New Look at Section 504 and the ADA in Special Education Cases by Mark C. Weber.
http://apps.americanbar.org/litigation/committees/childrights/content/articles/summer2011-section-504-ada-idea.html

In that article, Professor Weber wrote,

“School districts seem increasingly eager to decide that children are not eligible for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) …and courts frequently uphold these decisions…”

“If eligibility under IDEA continues to be cut back, parents of children with disabilities are likely to bring more claims for services under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C.A. § 794 (2011), and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C.A. §§ 12131–50 (2011).

“Section 504 forbids disability discrimination by federal grantees, including local school districts; Title II forbids disability discrimination by state and local governments, again including school districts. The regulations promulgated to enforce section 504 require that all children with disabilities, as defined by section 504 and the ADA, be provided with free, appropriate public education as interpreted by the section 504 regulations. (34 C.F.R. § 104.33(a)). That entitlement does not hinge on IDEA eligibility.”

Jim notes that historically, Section 504 has been used to supplement IDEA for compensatory damages, but there has been very little litigation under Section 504 in other areas. [Read more →]

Tags:   ADAAA · Jim Comstock-Galagan · Restraint · seclusion and restraints · Section 5043 Comments