Category Archives: Eligibility under IDEA

The Gift of Knowledge

From Jennifer Laviano over on Connecticut Special Education Lawyer.   It’s been a couple of years now that I’ve been blogging about special education legal issues.  Unfortunately, the realities of juggling a busy law practice, a family, and other professional … Continue reading

Posted in Autism, Autism spectrum disorders, bullying, bullying of kids with disabilities, Current Affairs, due process, due process hearings, eligibility, Eligibility determinations, Eligibility under IDEA, IEP Meetings, IEP Team, IEP Team meetings, IEP Team Members, Independent Educational Evaluations, Meaningful Parental participation, Special Education, special education attorneys, special education law, Special Education Law practice, special education laws, Tips for Parents, transition services | Comments Off

Cherry Picking IEP Members

From Jennifer Laviano over on Connecticut Special Education Lawyer. Despite nearly 15 years practicing special education law in Connecticut, there are still some old tricks which school districts employ which astound me.  Not that I am surprised that they continue … Continue reading

Posted in connecticut, Connecticut Education, Connecticut Special Education, Connecticut Special Education Law, Eligibility determinations, Eligibility under IDEA, FAPE, IDEA, IDEA claims, IEP Meetings, IEP Team Members, IEP Teams, IEPs, Inclusion, Occasional Rants, Present levels of Performance, Special Education, special education attorneys, special education law, Special Education Law and Advocacy, special education lawyers | Comments Off

IEEs: Do You Have to Explain Why You Disagree?

From Jennifer Laviano over on Connecticut Special Education Lawyer.   As I have covered on several occasions in the past, a parent’s right to an Independent Education Evaluation (IEE) under the IDEA is, in my view, one of the strongest … Continue reading

Posted in Connecticut Education, Connecticut Special Education, Connecticut Special Education Law, eligibility, Eligibility determinations, Eligibility under IDEA, evaluations, FAPE, IDEA, IDEA claims, IEE, IEEs, Independent Educational Evaluations, informed consent, Meaningful Parental participation, Special Education, special education law, Special Education Law and Advocacy, special education laws, special education testing, Tips for Parents | Comments Off

DON’T THROW AWAY ANYTHING!!!

From Jennifer Laviano over on Connecticut Special Education Lawyer. Sometimes it’s difficult to know what to to be happy about as an attorney who represents children with disabilities.  As you can imagine, the facts that support a “really great special … Continue reading

Posted in connecticut, Connecticut Education, Connecticut Special Education, Connecticut Special Education Law, due process, due process hearings, eligibility, Eligibility determinations, Eligibility under IDEA, FAPE, FERPA, IDEA, IDEA claims, IDEA Due Process Hearings, IEPs, informed consent, Meaningful Parental participation, Parent networking for disabilities, Parental participation, Special Education, special education attorneys, Special Education Due Process Hearings, special education law, Special Education Law and Advocacy, special education laws, special education lawyers, Tips for Parents | Comments Off

Ask for the Email

From Jennifer Laviano over on Connecticut Special Education Lawyer. Whenever parents retain my firm, I ask them to sign a form requesting all of their child’s education records be sent to me as their special education lawyer.  It’s a standard … Continue reading

Posted in Connecticut Education, Connecticut Special Education, Connecticut Special Education Law, due process, due process hearings, eligibility, Eligibility determinations, Eligibility under IDEA, evaluations, FAPE, FERPA, FERPA issues, IDEA claims, IDEA Due Process Hearings, IEP Meetings, IEP Team, IEP Team meetings, IEPs, informed consent, Meaningful Parental participation, Mediation, Parent networking for disabilities, special ed records, Special Education, special education attorneys, Special Education Due Process Hearings, Special Education Law and Advocacy, Special Education Law practice, special education laws, special education lawyers, special education testing, Tips for Parents | Comments Off

“Why Would We Do an Evaluation, She Already Gets Services?”

As a parents’ special education attorney in Connecticut, I hear outrageous statements that parents are told by their school districts on an almost daily basis.  But, sometimes, I am told something that passes the realm of outrageous, and crosses into ridiculous. Such statements mislead or misrepresent the school’s legal obligations, and always in a way [...] Continue reading

Posted in Autism, Autism spectrum disorders, connecticut, Connecticut Education, Connecticut Special Education, Connecticut Special Education Law, eligibility, Eligibility determinations, Eligibility under IDEA, evaluations, FAPE, IDEA claims, IEEs, IEP Meetings, IEP Team, IEP Team meetings, IEP Teams, IEPs, Independent Educational Evaluations, informed consent, Parental participation, Ridiculous Comments, Special Education, Special Education Law practice, special education laws, special education testing | Comments Off

10 Special Ed “Back To School” Readiness Questions

It’s “back to school” time!  While many of my clients receive Extended School Year (ESY) services over the summer, I have learned over the years in my special education law practice that, regardless of whether your child receives ESY services, a number of things can occur over a summer that might impact his or her [...] Continue reading

Posted in attorneys fees under IDEA, connecticut, Connecticut Education, Connecticut Special Education, Connecticut Special Education Law, eligibility, Eligibility determinations, Eligibility under IDEA, ESY, extended sc, FAPE, IDEA claims, IEP Meetings, IEP Team, IEP Team meetings, IEP Teams, IEPs, Meaningful Parental participation, Special Education, Special Education Law and Advocacy, Special Education Law practice, special education laws, Tips for Parents, transition services | Comments Off

Phoebe Prince, Bullying, Disabilities, and the Eggshell Skull

There is a theory in the law known as the “eggshell skull principle”, which, in essence, means that a person who commits a wrongful act takes their victim as they find them.  For example, Person A hits Person  B over the head with a baseball bat.  Of course it’s an assault, but you’d also assume [...] Continue reading

Posted in Add new tag, attorneys fees under IDEA, bullying, bullying of kids with disabilities, connecticut, Connecticut Education, Connecticut Special Education, Connecticut Special Education Law, eligibility, Eligibility determinations, Eligibility under IDEA, emotional disabilities under IDEA, emotional disability, evaluations, FAPE, Occasional Rants, Special Education, Special Education Law and Advocacy, Special Education Law practice, special education laws, special education testing | Comments Off

“But Quentin Tarantino is VERY Successful!”

As a parents’ special education attorney in Connecticut, I hear outrageous statements that parents are told by their school districts on an almost daily basis.  But, sometimes, I am told something that passes the realm of outrageous, and crosses into ridiculous.

Such statements mislead or misrepresent the school’s legal obligations, and always [...] Continue reading

Posted in Connecticut Special Education, Connecticut Special Education Law, Eligibility under IDEA, IDEA claims, IEP Meetings, IEP Team, IEP Team meetings, IEP Team Members, IEP Teams, IEPs, Meaningful Parental participation, Ridiculous Comments, Special Education, Special Education Law practice, transition services | Comments Off

On Giftedness, Disability, and Public Perceptions

So, I have been following the new series Parenthood with interest.  Yes, I loved the movie, and I like enough of the cast members to have tuned in.  But I started to commit to watching it weekly when I saw they were incorporating a story line about a family grappling with their child’s diagnosis of [...] Continue reading

Posted in Add new tag, Autism spectrum disorders, Connecticut Special Education, Connecticut Special Education Law, Current Affairs, Eligibility determinations, Eligibility under IDEA, evaluations, giftedness, Meaningful Parental participation, Parent networking for disabilities, Special Education, Special Education Law and Advocacy | Comments Off