Education Advocacy Program
Program Description
The Education Advocacy Program advocates for low-income and minority students with all types of disabilities who are being denied services to which they are entitled. Failure to provide appropriate educational opportunities for children with disabilities has long-term consequences that affect, not only the children and their families, but also society at large.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires schools to identify, assess, and provide special education services to children with learning-related disabilities. In order to access these services parents and advocates must navigate through a myriad of laws and educational bureaucracies.
Since its establishment in 2000, the Education Advocacy Program (EAP) has worked to ensure that quality representation is given to traditionally underrepresented communities accessing special education services. Minority and low-income students are often left out of special education, which leads to segregation, ineffective education services, and failure in school. The EAP represents low-income families of students with disabilities in special education proceedings, including Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, state and federal complaints, and due process hearings for free or low cost. The majority of EAP’s staff is bilingual in Spanish.
The EAP expanded to include offices at Loyola Marymount University and the Inland Empire and currently has four staff attorneys. The staff works in collaboration with Pro Bono Attorneys and Co Counsel from the private bar, judges, district attorneys, public defenders, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), regional center providers, volunteers, and law clerks to more effectively represent their clients and to allow for a larger impact. The EAP also works to educate the community on special education issues, which has led to the creation of monthly Parent workshops, an Education Advocacy Manual (a step-by-step guide on basic special education procedures), trainings at various parent and school sites, and joint instruction of a Special Education Law class at Loyola Marymount University. Click here for individual program descriptions.
Staff
Shawna L. Parks, Esq., Legal Director
Maronel Barajas, Esq., Senior Staff Attorney
Anna Rivera, Esq., Staff Attorney
Angelica de Lira, Legal Assistant
The Education Advocacy Program Provides
- Special education advocacy and legal representation
- Workshops, Workshops in Spanish, and manuals (to order click here) on special education
- Outreach to parents, schools, courts, and other organizations
- Referrals to private pro bono attorneys
- Assistance to students in the juvenile justice system
- Services provided in English, Spanish, ASL and other languages
(Proporcionamos servicios legales en Español)
Areas of Advocacy & Representation
- Section 504 Plans & IEP Meetings
- Special Education Services
- Assessment Issues
- Placement Issues
- Mediation
- Due Process Hearings
- Litigation
Legislative Updates
- Class Action Settlement for Juveniles in San Bernardino Probation System
- Gliane v. Long Beach Unified School District, Court of Appeal No. B193345
- Due Process Hearing Decision from the Office of Administrative Hearings
- 9th Circuit Amicus Brief Filed March 28, 2007
- DRLC, Learning Rights Law Center, The Legal Aid Society - Employment Law Center, and Latham & Watkins LLP sue the California Department of Education over statewide failure to provide transition planning services to youth eligible for special education.
- DRLC and Co-Counsel Ben Kim Successfully Reverse a Bad Special Education Decision at the Ninth Circuit
Advocacy Resources
- Education Advocacy Manual in English
- Education Advocacy Manual in Spanish
- California Department of Education: www.cde.ca.gov
- Wrights Law: www.wrightslaw.com
- Protection & Advocacy, Inc.: www.pai-ca.org
- Special Education Advocacy Strategies: www.reedmartin.com
- Council for Exceptional Children: www.ideapractices.org
DRLC Comments
Comments to the Office of Administrative Hearings, Special Education Division's Parents Manual
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Speaks to the Council for Exceptional Children