The Wrightslaw Way

Join Pete Wright, Esq. and sponsor H & H Associates for a Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Training on May 9, 2014 in Valencia, CA.

Register on or before December 9, 2013 and save $40.00. Early Bird registration also includes a private reception with Pete Wright on Thursday, May 8, 2014 from 6 to 8 pm at the Embassy Suites in Valencia.

Note: After the December 9, 2013 date the Couples registration option and Scholarships will not available.

Download the registration form or register online today!

Don’t miss the Early Bird Registration deadline! Register Now!

My 11 year old 6th grader has always struggled with reading, phonics, spelling, and his handwriting is atrocious.  He is diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder. The most recent private evaluation discovered a major math delay.

His middle school says he didn’t need any support and wanted to deny him services.

We drafted an IEP with 3 well written goals, including Reading Comprehension.  The final IEP completely omitted the reading goal!

Last meeting – No PLOP. No goals. No services. Now they want to evaluate again.

We have no money for a tutor, advocate, or attorney.

• Can I go to Due Process without one?
• Will mediation be the better route?
• How can I continue to advocate for him?

You Need an Attorney at Due Process

I do not suggest that you go to due process with a multi-million dollar school district without an attorney.

You do not know how to do that. You need an attorney to tell you if you have a case, and how to frame the case.

Running Out of Time

Since you are unable to hire an appropriately trained tutor, an advocate, or an attorney, you will need to provide what is needed through another route.

You can take the training and practicum necessary to teach reading. You can take the training necessary to become an advocate. Or, a combination of both.

Both of these options take time your son does not have. [Read more →]

Due to upcoming weather conditions, the conference has been postponed until Wednesday, January 15, 2014.

Join Pete Wright, Esq., and sponsors for this one-day Wrightslaw Special Education and Advocacy Training at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Constitution Hall.

This FREE Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Training is generously sponsored by the Oklahoma Disability Law Center, Inc. and Partners in Education Advocacy.

FREE for parents, family members, and individuals who work with children with disabilities and are residents of Oklahoma. Out of state registrants are welcome, but will be charged for the cost of the books ($65).

Registration includes Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition, Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy, 2nd Edition, Wrightslaw: All About IEPs and Understanding Your Child’s Test Scores CD-Rom.

Download the registration form for in-state.

Download the registration form for out-of-state.

See you in Oklahoma on January 15, 2014!

Can a child with an IEP be recorded, filmed, or photographed in the classroom?

The US Supreme Court has held that students do not have a right to privacy in the classroom – and this includes kids with disabilities in special education programs.

Federal laws that are intended to protect the privacy of students focus on education records.

Federal laws designed to protect the privacy of students do not prohibit cameras that record a child in the classroom.

Making the Case for Cameras in the Classroom

There is a legitimate concern about child abuse in the classroom and the probability that cameras might lower the frequency of these incidents.

Many parents and advocates believe cameras in classrooms are the only thing that will protect children who can’t defend themselves, especially disabled kids, isolated in self-contained public school classrooms.

Other school district district personnel and teacher’s unions argue it’s unfair to use cameras to record thousands of educators in an attempt to prevent the misconduct of a few. [Read more →]

Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Trainings are heading to the states of Texas, Washington, New York, New Mexico, Idaho, Wisconsin, Arkansas, California, Virginia, Connecticut, and Oklahoma. More locations to be announced!

Check the schedule page for all updates.

Don’t forget the last Wrightslaw conference in 2013! The Oklahoma Disability Law Center, Inc. and Partners in Education Advocacy are sponsoring this conference. FREE for Oklahoma residents and $65 for out-of-state registrants. Get all of the conference details here.

The seats are filling up fast so register today! Registration Form In-State    Registration Form Out-of-State

See you in Oklahoma!

I have a 3 year old daughter diagnosed with ASD. The principal requested that I meet with her and my daughter’s special needs teacher to discuss school policy about dropping off my daughter, assisting her with putting her things away, and picking her up each day.

I am concerned the principal wants to limit my contact with my daughter.

There are several reasons why school staff believe they have to limit parental contact.

• Sometimes, they think parents are over-protective, so the child won’t learn to do things for herself.

Some parents are over-involved – “helicopter parents” are always hovering.

• Some teachers complain that parents are a distraction in the classroom.

It sounds like your situation is different. [Read more →]

I asked for an aide for my son. The school said he would have to have an “aide assessment.”  What is that?  I’ve never heard of such a thing.

We’ve never heard of an “aide assessment” before assigning an aide to a child.

Depending on your child’s unique needs, your child’s IEP team that includes the parent is supposed to determine:

• the present levels of academic achievement and functional performance
• what special education services, related services, and supplementary services
• any accommodations and/or modifications

The team then determines placement.

The IDEA includes a mainstreaming or “least restrictive environment” policy that requires school districts to educate children with disabilities in regular classrooms with their non-disabled peers, and in the school they would attend if not disabled, to the maximum extent appropriate. [Read more →]

My 5 year-old son with autism attends a school sponsored pre-school. He requires special transportation. The school principal has agreed to one-way transportation only.

Since your child needs and the school has agreed to provide transportation from his home to school at the beginning of the school day, the school needs to provide transportation from school to home at the end of the school day.

Under IDEA, the school must provide the special education services, related services, and supplementary aides and services that the child needs to receive a free appropriate public education and receive benefit from his special education program. [Read more →]

We finally have a 504 in place for my 14 year old son with ADHD and very mild Asperger’s. He has dysgraphia and is so unorganized.

The teachers were supposed to provide written assignments or email them to me, but the school tells me that’s not what we agreed to.

Section 504 does not require the school to develop a written 504 Plan.

No wonder the school can easily say “that’s not what we agreed to.” The school does not even have to include parents in the meeting where the 504 plan is developed.

It is essential for parents to create the documentation as a record.

Request another meeting with the school.

After your next meeting or any communication with the school, send a letter that describes exactly what you understood the agreement to be.

Clearly set out all the conditions. [Read more →]

This Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Training takes place at the beautiful Casino del Sol Resort , Spa and Conference Center in Tucson, AZ on November 15, 2013.

A day-long hands on special education workshop designed to meet the needs of parents and professionals serving children and teens with disabilities.

Conference fee includes Continental Breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and three Wrightslaw books.

Special hotel rates, CEU’s, corporate sponsorships and limited scholarships are available. For all conference details, please click here.

Register Online Now! – Download and distribute the Save the Date flyer.

See you in Arizona!