Special Education Law Blog

FAPE Applies to Busing

It is that magic time called "Back to School."  For most of my clients it is not so magic, more like nerve racking. Transportation seems to be  the first issue that rears its ugly head:

Strange School Signs

I have always known that school people can say and do some strange things.  Here are some examples of signs showing what a strange place schools can be:

Guidelines for Working With A Special Education Attorney

The simple truth is that parents on balance achieve better results when they are working with an attorney. Of course, there are notable exceptions such as the very able and courageous parents in the Winkleman case.  Nevertheless, especially in the current environment which seems more charged and polarized attorney help can be critical.  The following is my distilled wisdom on how to make the most out of attorney representation and strategic approaches to working with an attorney:

School Supply Lists For Kids With Special Needs Can Be Full of Sheets by Lori Miller Fox

It’s that time of year again.  Back to school. When parents all over the country, list in hand, ambush the stores in search of the perfect school supplies. Red, plastic, 8x12 pronged folder with pockets, green wide-ruled five-subject spiral notebook.  Every subject has a specific pencil, every class a unique pen. But somehow those itemized  lists never seem to apply to my son. Just seeing the word “Elmers” used to get me unglued, the word “ball point” would start me balling, and the word “scissors” would cut me to my very  core. The only thing that seemed remotely useful was the mandatory box of Kleenex tissues to wipe away the tears, so I always bought an extra for my own supply closet.

After years of suffering in silence, I’ve put together my own, more functional list for kids with special needs, their families and the staff who “just don’t get them”.

IDEA 2004 Regulations Released

The new IDEA 2004 Federal regulations are finally out and have been published in the Federal Register as the next to last step to becoming final and effective. These regulations will become operative in 60 days. Analysis of these new regulations will follow.