Catharine: Last year I walked into my son’s classroom and found him tied in 5 point mechanical restraints (brain injury and nonverbal child) aide was “retrained”. New school same aide this year and my son was left unsupervised and broke his front tooth out. What remedies do I have in Virginia?
You need to consult with an attorney who specializes in disability law or special ed law.
You will find attorneys listed on the Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities for VA.
http://www.yellowpagesforkids.com/help/va.htm
You may also contact a special ed or children’s law clinic – the PELE Clinic in Williamsburg, the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy (VOPA), Virginia Legal Aid Society, in Danville, and JustChildren Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville – they are listed on the Yellow Pages site.
i recently lost my school job after 15 years as a parapro in special ed. District says it has to do with one thing, I believe its due to being an advocate for the students. CPI holds on children for no real reason, a child being put under the teachers desk for being “bad”, a teacher screaming horribly in childrens faces, asking for guidance in dealing with specific behaviors etc. Are there any laws that back the children and me? I do have copies of emails that I sent to the Director after no help from the teacher. I feel bad for the students knowing that they are still being treated wrong.Who could I contact? Thanks (New Jersey)
You can make a complaint to the special ed department of the state education agency. The state also has an independent Disability Rights organization.