Category: Education Law

Board members sometimes just assume that whenever they enter into executive session under Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), they can invite anyone they want into the session.  Furthermore, boards often assume that certain personnel (such as superintendents) have a right to be present. Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Commission (FOIC) recently stated “not so fast”…

Read More “Executive Session: Who Can Be There (Besides Board Members)?: Pullman & Comley” »

Excerpted from an interview of attorney Hope Kirsch to LRP: Parent attorney isn’t coming to IEP meeting, but school attorney is? Watch your step The case manager has all the documents ready and is just a couple of hours away from beginning the IEP meeting. Then the parent attorney calls to say she can’t make…

Read More “Can a school attorney attend an IEP meeting if the parent attorney does not?” »

 By Michelle Ball, California Education Attorney for Students since 1995 What does it take to issue a valid school suspension?  Does a student have to DO something, or can they just be near someone who does something?  Over the years, I have seen bystanders (aka witnesses) punished by schools when they did nothing but watch…

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By Lateefah S. Williams, Esq. In today’s diverse classrooms, cultural competence is mandatory for students to thriveand it is a critical component of an effective special education program. Byunderstanding and respecting cultural differences, educators can improve educationaloutcomes for students with disabilities. Cultural competence is not just for “politicalcorrectness.” Rather, it is essential to building a…

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By Michelle Ball, California Education Attorney for Students since 1995 College punishment can come swiftly and harshly, ending with a suspension or even an expulsion for minor activities.  Even in the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) college systems, the discipline can be unfair and result in an unjust outcome.  As such, a…

Read More “Filing A UC or CSU Discipline Appeal Within The College: Bases For Appeal” »

By Lateefah S. Williams, Esq. In a post-pandemic world, helping students deal with mental health challenges in K-12schools has taken on new urgency. An increasing number of students face difficulties,such as, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among others.This has caused teachers and administrators to seek out effective ways to support theirstudents’ emotional well-being….

Read More “The Growing Role of 504 Plans in Supporting Mental Health in K-12 Schools” »

By Michelle Ball, California Education Attorney for Students since 1995 Talk to many in our culture today about nicotine products and the public schools and you may hear:  “So what, the kid’s smoking, isn’t that something every teen does?”  Not really, and if they do, it should not be at school or involving school.  Tobacco or…

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CHILD FINDAll children with disabilities, including children with disabilities who are homeless children or are wards of the State – and children with disabilities attending private schools – regardless of the severity of their disabilities, and who are in need of special education and related services, must be identified, located, and evaluated and a practical…

Read More “KGK Special Ed Law Blog: Child Find” »

By Michelle Ball, California Education Attorney for Students since 1995 School expulsion is traumatizing and awful.  Once the worst happens and an expulsion is imposed, do students just get automatic reentry into their local school when the time period is over?  How do they return?  Are there steps?  The terms of the expulsion determine what…

Read More “Readmission To Public School After Expulsion” »

At the end of November, the short-life working group on Co-ordinated Support Plans (CSPs) released its Final Report. The purpose of the report was to identify barriers to the effective implementation of the CSP legislation and to make recommendations to support progress. The report begins, as these things often do, with a statement of principles….

Read More “CSP Report – The Additional Support Needs Blog” »