Published on
June 29, 2010 by
Jennifer Laviano
I feel a little guilty for having neglected my blog most of this month, but the volume of IEP meetings, mediation, and Due Process Hearing commitments has prohibited me from writing much other than responses to Motions to Dismiss, 10 day notice letters, and a whole lot of nasty grams!
The month of June has left [...]
Filed Under Parents
Tags: Connecticut Education, Connecticut Special Education, Connecticut Special Education Law, Due Process, FAPE, IDEA, IDEA claims, IDEA Due Process Hearings, IEP Meetings, IEP Team, IEP Team meetings, IEP Team Members, IEPs, Meaningful Parental participation, Mediation, 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
Published on
May 6, 2010 by
Jennifer Laviano
Another late night at the Capitol last night, showing support for the passage of HB 5425. Around midnight, just before the legislative session ended, the Senate voted by consent (unanimously) to pass HB 5425. Yes, this is the same bill that previously included very concerning language regarding Connecticut’s Burden of Proof in special education due [...]
Filed Under Special Ed - CT specific
Tags: ABA services, ABA services and BCBA credentials, ABA services in IEP, autism, Autism spectrum disorders, connecticut, Connecticut autism legislation, Connecticut Education, Connecticut Special Education, Connecticut Special Education Law, CT autism laws, Due Process, due process hearings, IDEA, IDEA claims, IEP Meetings, IEP Team, IEP Team meetings, IEP Team Members, IEP Teams, Parent networking for disabilities, special education, special education attorneys, Special Education Due Process Hearings, Special Education Law and Advocacy, special education laws
Published on
December 15, 2009 by
Jennifer Laviano
How is it that, in disputes between parents and school districts, whenever an IEP Team Member starts to align their recommendations with the parents’ position, they suddenly stop getting invited to that child’s IEP Meetings? In my Connecticut special education law practice, I see this all the time.
Example 1: the parents believe that their child [...]
Filed Under Tips for Parents
Tags: Connecticut Education, Connecticut Special Education, Connecticut Special Education Law, Duly Constituted IEP Team, IDEA, IEP Team, IEP Team meetings, IEP Team Members, IEP Teams, Invitation to IEP meetings, special education, Special Education Law
Published on
June 26, 2009 by
Jennifer Laviano
As I near the end of a brutal IEP “Season,” I am humbled, once again, by how my clients do it. It is one thing for me, whose job it is to represent them at these meetings and to make sure their rights are being protected, to feel overwhelmed and frustrated by how unfair the [...]
Published on
June 8, 2009 by
Jennifer Laviano
“The Cheerleader”
So, a parent of a child with special education needs arrives at an IEP meeting with a list of serious concerns. Not infrequently, their child is struggling, and the parents’ disagreements with the program are significant. There may even be severe academic or behavioral regression at the time of the meeting. Sometimes the parents [...]
Published on
June 7, 2009 by
Jennifer Laviano
How many times have you attended an IEP Team Meeting for your child with special education needs, and requested a service or evaluation, only to be told “well, we’ll have to check with the special education director and get back to you” or “that’s not a decision that I can make” or “I don’t know [...]
Published on
June 1, 2009 by
Jennifer Laviano
“The Riddler”
This can be any member of the staff or administration, who has been withholding pertinent information from the parents of a child with special education needs until the Annual Review IEP Meeting, or worse, until the parents have brought in a special education lawyer or advocate. The Riddler has chosen not to share this [...]
Published on
May 27, 2009 by
Jennifer Laviano
“The Pseudo-Psychologist”
The “Pseudo-Psychologist” does not necessarily have to be a school psychologist. It is any staff member who begins throwing around psychological terms as if they are certain they have all of the answers. Far worse is when you get the Pseudo-Psychologist who starts opining as to the appropriateness of the medications your child is [...]
Twitter
“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 [...]