Last Sunday evening, August 9, 2020, our school law attorneys held a free, back-to-school Zoom webinar.  Attorney Kristi Baker, who leads this practice area, sought to empower parents and talked about how to help your child receive a free, appropriate public education during these challenging times, with a focus on special education needs.

No student can afford a wasted semester, least of all a student with an IEP.  Kristi emphasized how parental advocacy is key to making sure that a child’s IEP is both drafted and implemented, in a way that meets the child’s needs during this challenging time.  Kristi gave an overview of options and discussed the specific rights of students and parents.

With this webinar, our firm wanted to teach parents how to advocate for their children, regardless of whether their district has opted for classes that are in-person, remote, or somewhere in between.

Topics included:

  • IEP management and review
    • Requesting an IEP review meeting
    • Providing useful data to the IEP team based on the Spring 2020 semester
    • Enforcing your IEP when its terms aren’t met
  • Overview of “reopening” models planned for the fall in the Greater Madison area
  • Open enrollment
    • Your rights to open enroll in other districts and/or in virtual learning academies
  • Transfer to private school
    • When might your district need to pay for a private program
  • Compensatory education
    • Why it is increasingly difficult to receive and how “additional services” might be the better option

Here are the School Law Webinar Handout and PowerPoint Presentation from the webinar. 

Disclaimer: The posting and reading of this blog does not establish an attorney-client relationship with The Law Center, S.C., or constitute legal advice from The Law Center, S.C., to the reader or the public.  The law constantly changes and facts vary widely.  Before relying on any general legal information contained herein, please consult legal counsel as to your particular situation.