The blogsite Dr. Chris’ Autism Journal has some useful information on ESY and summer programming. While it is geared towards children with autism, there is useful information for other families of children with special needs.
The IEP Game
This time of year the anxiety and stress level is simply off the Richter scale. Fortunately, Terri Mauro has brought some fun to this overwise not funny time of year. Click here for the IEP game; it is great fun. Thank you Terri.
Why Do School Personnel Lie At Hearing ?
I am currently in the midst of a end of the school year crunch time which in part explains why I have been less regular in posting to the blog. One question that is on my mind is why do school people lie ?
Bar Association Should Fight for Access to Justice
School districts and their attorneys have such tender feelings. A parent in Ohio filed due process on behalf of his son and won over a team of school district attorneys. The sweetness of his victory was short lived. Not long after his victory in the due process and in court, the Ohio Bar Association swung into action and filed suit against the parent for "unauthorized practice of law" for representing his minor child.
Custom Governs IEPs
In the nearly 10 years that I have been representing children with special needs, the question that comes to mind most often is–why do schools act the way they do ? Mostly the mental question is an effort to probe the myriad ways that schools conduct themselves in violation of the law, but paradoxically believe, often sincerely, that they are acting in accord with the law. The answer is that custom more than IDEA, 504, or any state law or set of regulations determines the schools actions. Which is not to say that real promulgated laws do not intrude on the actions of the school because that would be untrue. Custom, however, transcends any revisions in the law and continues to explain, at least in part, the actions of schools.
No Paper, Pencils and Books…No Problem
The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights (OCR) for Denver decided a case, Granite School District , 45 IDELR 65 (2004) which ruled that where the school failed to provide paper, pencils and books while the child was in his jail cell was not a violation of law. The reasoning of this decision was noteworthy even for students who are not in jail.
Virtual Programs Have Their Virtues
Virtual reality, teaching and meetings/hearings should have an important role in providing an appropriate education for our children. Some of these technologies are still cutting edge and not yet here (e.g. virtual meetings/meetings), virtual reality is in the testing stages (and actually in use in some schools) for use with children with disabilities, and virtual teaching is already in use.
Complex Problems, No Simple Solutions
For the better part of this school year my son has been struggling in school with episodes of falling asleep. Although not every day, the sleeping would occur about two times a day. The episodes began in October. The month of October is a pivotal month. Typically it is when the school stops reviewing last year’s material, and begins getting "serious" about school.
School Districts’ Attorneys Living Large At Public Expense
Well the San Francisco Chronicle is at it again. Not satisfied with the vile falsehoods it disseminated as "news" in Nanette Asimov’s article, it has now published a lengthy op-ed piece from a California school administrator; the point of this piece is that parents’ lawyers are draining school coffers in a relentless pursuit of special education cases. She apparently has not read the recent articles of school district’s attorneys receiving blockbuster fees in losing cases that should have never gone to court, except for the bad judgment of the school administration and bad advice of the school district’s attorneys.
Read Your IEP Backwards
As any avid reader of the sports section of a tabloid-style newspaper knows, the way to read the paper is to start at the back and work forwards. IEPs should be given similar back to front attention.
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