Wrightslaw

At Wrightslaw, our goals are to help you gain the information and skills you need to navigate the confusing world of special education - and resolve problems.

Highlights: What to do if you think your child's rights have been violated; how to handle a parent-school crisis; how to prevent burnout; new issue of The Beacon coming soon; how to avoid a big mistake most parents make; how to get help from a consultant, evaluator, advocate; free shipping on Wrightslaw books; special education law program in DC; attend a Wrightslaw Advocacy Training Program.

Quote of the Week: "It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up." - Vince Lombardi, football coach

Download newsletter:  https://www.wrightslaw.com/nltr/03/nl.0826.htm

The Special Ed Advocate newsletter is free. Please forward this issue or the subscription link to your friends and colleagues so they can learn about special education law and advocacy too. We appreciate your help!

https://www.wrightslaw.com/subscribe.htm

Do you want to learn more about special education advocacy? Start a FETA Study Group:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/advo.feta.groups.htm

"I am fighting a losing battle with the special educators about providing my son with the services he is entitled to. After many confrontations, they placed him in a self-contained class for emotionally disturbed children for one hour a day."

"The teacher disagrees that he needs these services. His IEP has not been reviewed, nor have I received any reports about his success or efforts. I have been told that my son's rights are being violated. I am extremely frustrated. What should I do?"

You may be surprised when you read our advice to this parent -

https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/ltrs/ltr.rights.violated.htm

"I worry that the people in the system who are helping me and our kids will get burned out and quit - which is the last thing we want to see!"

"So, having discovered how much it cheers and reinvigorates me when I get thank you notes from clients or others I've helped, I've started a campaign to spread the cheer. It takes just a few minutes of time and ..."

Read Preventing Burnout in People Who Help Us - And Ourselves by advocate and educational consultant Meredith Warshaw.

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/advo.burnout.ltrs.warshaw.htm

Learn about letter-writing at:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/ltrs.index.htm

The Beacon: The Journal of Special Education Law and Practice is a multi-disciplinary electronic journal of special education law and practice published by Harbor House Law Press.

The Beacon publishes articles and essays for attorneys, advocates and others who are interested in special education law and practice. Each issue focuses on a theme and includes practical and theoretical articles.

The theme of next issue of The Beacon is "Reexamining Rowley, Educational Benefit & FAPE" Previous issues dealt with mediation and negotiation, documents, and expert witnesses. You can read these issues in the Beacon Archives. http://www.harborhouselaw.com/archives.htm

You may subscribe to The Beacon from the Harbor House Law site at http://www.harborhouselaw.com/

To learn more about The Beacon, go to http://www.harborhouselaw.com/newsletter.html

For a list of free online newsletters about special education legal issues, please go to https://www.wrightslaw.com/links/free_nwltrs.htm

"How can I get the school to provide my child with . . . "

"How can I stop the school from . . . "

"How can I get school staff to see that my child needs . . . "

One of the biggest mistakes parents make is . . . not getting a comprehensive psycho-educational evaluation of their child by an expert in the private sector. A good comprehensive evaluation will describe the child's strengths and weaknesses, the educational services needed, what will happen if those services are not received - and provide baseline data so you can measure the child's progress over time.

Tip: Be sure the evaluator does not use the terms "best" or "maximize the child's potential" in the evaluation report - these terms are fatal. Your child is entitled to an appropriate education (not the best).

For strategies you can use to find an educational consultant, advocate or attorney, read How to Find an Educational Consultant, Advocate, Attorney at:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/advo.referrals.htm

To find help, go to the Yellow Pages for Kids and click the link for your state.

http://www.fetaweb.com/help/states.htm

Our publisher is offering FREE SHIPPING on all books - you save at least $4.95 per order.

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law (with or without CD-ROM) by Pete and Pam Wright
https://www.wrightslaw.com/store/law.html

Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy by Pam and Pete Wright
https://www.wrightslaw.com/store/feta.html

Writing Measurable IEP Goals and Objectives by Barbara Bateman and Cynthia Herr
https://www.wrightslaw.com/store/bb.iep.html

Why Johnny Doesn't Behave by Barbara Bateman and Annemieke Golly
https://www.wrightslaw.com/store/bb.wjdb.html

To place an order in the Wrightslaw store, go to https://www.wrightslaw.com/store/index.html

To order by Mail, Fax and Phone, go to https://www.wrightslaw.com/bks/orderform.htm