Supporting a Student’s Bright Future

After finding himself in a bit of trouble, 17 year-old Miguel began attending the probation-court run school. It wasn’t long before Miguel found himself growing increasingly frustrated. The school was small, the staff was strict, and he had been there most of his junior year of high school. Making matters worse, he had a severe processing disability that made school difficult to understand. Luckily, Miguel and his family found the Law Foundation.

Miguel’s mother started working with one of our attorneys who began reviewing Miguel’s records. A Spanish-speaking social worker from our team planned to attend Miguel’s support team meeting at his school to help interpret for Miguel’s mother. When our social worker arrived to the meeting, she quickly discovered that it was actually an IEP meeting! Taking this surprise in stride, our social worker advocated for Miguel’s wishes: to return to a mainstream high school.

Our attorney and social worker also coordinated meetings at the home and facilitated a meeting between the school district and Miguel’s mother to ensure that everyone understood Miguel’s needs. Together, our team created a goal for Miguel: if he stayed at the probation-court run school and made efforts on his attendance and course work through the last few weeks of the calendar year, he could return to his regular local high school the following month.

Through the support of our attorney and social worker, Miguel successfully transitioned to his local high school in the New Year. The following few months were met with good news; the principal at Miguel’s new school informed our team that he actually had enough credits to graduate at the end of the school year, with the rest of his classmates.

Overjoyed, Miguel’s mother invited our attorney and social worker to his graduation for their part in helping Miguel reach this important milestone. Without our advocacy for the proper educational environment to support Miguel, he might not have had his needs met under the law and may have grown too frustrated to finish school. Earlier this summer, our team loudly cheered Miguel on as he walked across the stage, beaming with pride to accept his diploma.

Tips for Effective Special Education Advocacy

A student struggling in school may be entitled to an Individualized Educational Plan, or IEP, a legal document that creates goals and structural school support for a student with special needs.

The law is complex and difficult to navigate so parents and guardians may find themselves confused or unfamiliar with the legal process that goes into creating an IEP. To help, here are our top 3 tips for effective special education advocacy from Law Foundation attorney Julia Souza.

1.       Put all requests to the school/school district in writing. It’s best to have regular communication with your child’s teacher and school. However, it’s important that your requests, especially for additional special education services or testing, be put in writing. Keep copies of all letters or emails that you have sent.

2.      Bring a friend or family member to IEP meetings. Think of it like a complicated doctor’s appointment. Schools use a lot of technical language, and they sometimes move quickly. The meetings can be more exhausting than you might think, and it helps to have someone else remember everything that was said.

3.      Call an education attorney for help. If your school district is not meeting your student’s needs, and you need more support, call an education attorney.

*The tips above are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact an attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

Kyra Kazantzis Recognized for her Law Foundation Service

After 25 years of working with our team to advance justice, Directing Attorney Kyra Kazantzis has moved on from the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley. Last month, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors honored Kyra for her extraordinary leadership and service.

Kyra has been a leading force in building our organization’s reputation and success. She has led our team to countless legal and policy wins that have advanced the rights of low income client communities in our region and beyond, including last year’s life-changing victory that kept 400 mostly Latino and low-income residents in their homes at Buena Vista Mobile Home Park in Palo Alto. We’re grateful for her endless commitment to our community and all of us at the Law Foundation wish her the very best on her next endeavor.