Wrightslaw

The Special Ed Advocate Newsletter
August 26, 2003


Home  
Issue -
226
ISSN: 1538-3202
Print this page

In this Issue . . .


Help! My Child's Rights Are Being Violated - What Can I Do?

Emergency! Crisis! Help!

Preventing Burnout

Coming Soon! New Issue of The Beacon

One of the Biggest Mistakes Parents Make Is . . .

Free Shipping - Save $$

Special Education Law & Advocacy

Put Wrightslaw Advocacy Training on Your To-Do List

Subscription & Contact Info

Subscribe
Your Email:

Please Check Email for Spelling
Your Name & Zipcode:

At Wrightslaw, our goals are to help you gain the information and skills you need to navigate the confusing world of special education - and resolve problems.

Highlights: What to do if you think your child's rights have been violated; how to handle a parent-school crisis; how to prevent burnout; new issue of The Beacon coming soon; how to avoid a big mistake most parents make; how to get help from a consultant, evaluator, advocate; free shipping on Wrightslaw books; special education law program in DC; attend a Wrightslaw Advocacy Training Program.

Quote of the Week: "It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up." - Vince Lombardi, football coach

Download newsletter:  https://www.wrightslaw.com/nltr/03/nl.0826.htm

The Special Ed Advocate newsletter is free. Please forward this issue or the subscription link to your friends and colleagues so they can learn about special education law and advocacy too. We appreciate your help!

https://www.wrightslaw.com/subscribe.htm

Do you want to learn more about special education advocacy? Start a FETA Study Group:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/advo.feta.groups.htm


1. Help! My Child's Rights Are Being Violated - What Can I Do?

"I am fighting a losing battle with the special educators about providing my son with the services he is entitled to. After many confrontations, they placed him in a self-contained class for emotionally disturbed children for one hour a day."

"The teacher disagrees that he needs these services. His IEP has not been reviewed, nor have I received any reports about his success or efforts. I have been told that my son's rights are being violated. I am extremely frustrated. What should I do?"

You may be surprised when you read our advice to this parent -

https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/ltrs/ltr.rights.violated.htm


2. Emergency! Crisis! Help!

If you have been tempted to send an email to Wrightslaw that begins "HELP," you are not alone! Many people send very specific questions by email and ask for advice.

Unfortunately, we cannot answer individual requests for legal advice and help. But, most people parents do not need an attorney - they need a plan.

We wrote Emergency! Crisis! Help! for parents who are in crisis -- and for parents who want to avoid a crisis. It's important for parents to realize that they often damage their child's case by reacting emotionally, acting impulsively, or believing they must DO SOMETHING RIGHT NOW!

Read "Emergency! Crisis! Help!" at -

https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/Crisis.html

Read more articles: https://www.wrightslaw.com/articles.htm


3. Preventing Burnout in People Who Help Us - and Ourselves

"I worry that the people in the system who are helping me and our kids will get burned out and quit - which is the last thing we want to see!"

"So, having discovered how much it cheers and reinvigorates me when I get thank you notes from clients or others I've helped, I've started a campaign to spread the cheer. It takes just a few minutes of time and ..."

Read Preventing Burnout in People Who Help Us - And Ourselves by advocate and educational consultant Meredith Warshaw.

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/advo.burnout.ltrs.warshaw.htm

Learn about letter-writing at:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/ltrs.index.htm


4. Coming Soon! New Issue Of The Beacon

The Beacon: The Journal of Special Education Law and Practice is a multi-disciplinary electronic journal of special education law and practice published by Harbor House Law Press.

The Beacon publishes articles and essays for attorneys, advocates and others who are interested in special education law and practice. Each issue focuses on a theme and includes practical and theoretical articles.

The theme of next issue of The Beacon is "Reexamining Rowley, Educational Benefit & FAPE" Previous issues dealt with mediation and negotiation, documents, and expert witnesses. You can read these issues in the Beacon Archives. http://www.harborhouselaw.com/archives.htm

You may subscribe to The Beacon from the Harbor House Law site at http://www.harborhouselaw.com/

To learn more about The Beacon, go to http://www.harborhouselaw.com/newsletter.html

For a list of free online newsletters about special education legal issues, please go to https://www.wrightslaw.com/links/free_nwltrs.htm


5. One of the Biggest Mistakes Parents Make Is . . .

"How can I get the school to provide my child with . . . "

"How can I stop the school from . . . "

"How can I get school staff to see that my child needs . . . "

One of the biggest mistakes parents make is . . . not getting a comprehensive psycho-educational evaluation of their child by an expert in the private sector. A good comprehensive evaluation will describe the child's strengths and weaknesses, the educational services needed, what will happen if those services are not received - and provide baseline data so you can measure the child's progress over time.

Tip: Be sure the evaluator does not use the terms "best" or "maximize the child's potential" in the evaluation report - these terms are fatal. Your child is entitled to an appropriate education (not the best).

For strategies you can use to find an educational consultant, advocate or attorney, read How to Find an Educational Consultant, Advocate, Attorney at:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/advo.referrals.htm

To find help, go to the Yellow Pages for Kids and click the link for your state.

http://www.fetaweb.com/help/states.htm


6. Free Shipping - Save $$

Our publisher is offering FREE SHIPPING on all books - you save at least $4.95 per order.

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law (with or without CD-ROM) by Pete and Pam Wright
https://www.wrightslaw.com/store/law.html

Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy by Pam and Pete Wright
https://www.wrightslaw.com/store/feta.html

Writing Measurable IEP Goals and Objectives by Barbara Bateman and Cynthia Herr
https://www.wrightslaw.com/store/bb.iep.html

Why Johnny Doesn't Behave by Barbara Bateman and Annemieke Golly
https://www.wrightslaw.com/store/bb.wjdb.html

To place an order in the Wrightslaw store, go to https://www.wrightslaw.com/store/index.html

To order by Mail, Fax and Phone, go to https://www.wrightslaw.com/bks/orderform.htm


7. Special Education Law and Advocacy, Washington, DC (October 11, 2003)

What: The Virginia Legal Advocacy Center will present "Special Education Law and Advocacy" on Saturday, October 11, 2003 from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Where: American University-Washington College of Law, 4801 Massachusetts Avenue, Room 402, Washington, D.C. 20016

Who: Presenters include Peter W.D. Wright, Esq., Darrel Tillar Mason, Esq., Malcolm Higgins, Esq., Mary Kathryn Hart, Esq.

CLEs: 6.5 CLE credits, including 1.5 ethics credits; 3 Guardian ad litem credits

More Info: For more information and links to the agenda and registration form, please go to: http://www.virginialac.org/content/training_oct2003.html

Questions? Please call Lori Battin at 804 967-2556 or email her at battinla@aol.com


8. Put Wrightslaw Advocacy Training on Your To-Do List

Wrightslaw training programs focus on four areas: special education laws, rights & responsibilities; how to use the bell curve to measure progress & regression; SMART IEPs; and tactics & strategies for effective advocacy.

September 20: Pittsburgh PA
https://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/03.09.pa.htm

September 23: Annandale VA (Northern Virginia/DC area)
https://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/03.09.va.htm

September 26: Charlotte NC
https://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/03.09.nc.htm

November 7-8: Jackson MS (Boot Camp)
https://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/03.11.ms.htm

November 15: Syracuse NY
https://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/03.11.ny.htm

To learn about other Wrightslaw training programs scheduled for the 2003-2004 year, please check our Seminars & Training page: https://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/index.htm

If you want to learn how to bring Pete & Pam to your community, please read our FAQs about Seminars: https://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/faqs.htm


9. Subscription & Contact Info

The Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter about special education legal and advocacy issues, cases, and tactics and strategies. Subscribers receive "alerts" about new cases, events, and special offers on Wrightslaw books.

Law Library - https://www.wrightslaw.com/law.htm

Advocacy Library - https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc.htm

Free Newsletter - https://www.wrightslaw.com/subscribe.htm

Newsletter Archives - https://www.wrightslaw.com/archives.htm

Seminars & Training - https://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/index.htm

Yellow Pages for Kids - http://www.fetaweb.com/help/states.htm

Contact Info

Pete and Pam Wright
Wrightslaw & The Special Ed Advocate
P. O. Box 1008
Deltaville, VA 23043
Website: https://www.wrightslaw.com
Email: newsletter@wrightslaw.com


Yellow pages image