Laura DeCencio, Esq. - Education Law
As parents have learned, many times school systems refuse to recognize a child’s learning difficulties and special needs. The student continues to come home with poor grades despite their best efforts at studying. Educators continue to “blame†the student or even the parents for the poor performance when in fact, there may be an undiagnosed learning difficulty which is causing the difficulty. As a parent and a lawyer, Laura understands that parents need an advocate, a trained lawyer, to battle the school district for their child's unique educational needs or services.
Laura knows that a school system may ignore parents’ informal requests for assistance, but the law requires that the school system follow specific guidelines when a formal request for assistance is made. For example, the school district must refer a child for an evaluation when the parent makes a written request for a special education evaluation. A written parental request for evaluation is considered a formal referral for evaluation. Once a request has been made, the law requires that a district is required to make the referral, and may not attempt to make interventions in the general school program first.
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Laura will ensure that the school does not unlawfully delay in responding to the formal request. Within 20 calendar days (excluding school holidays but not summer vacation) of this request, Laura and you will be in a formal meeting with the full child study team, and general education teacher who is knowledgeable about your child’s educational performance. She will work with the child study team at the school district to ensure that the school is providing services that the law requires. She
will work to help create or modify and student's individualized
education plan ("IEP").
Laura will make sure that a child study team is responsible-together with the parent, the child's teachers, and other specialists in the areas of the child’s weakness. She will ensure that the child study team members deliver related services to children with disabilities and provide services, support and training to the general education staff who work with children.
In short, Laura’s goal it to make sure the school is doing everything the law requires them to do to provide a fulfilling and meaningful education for your child.
BULLYING
Laura knows how parents feel when they realize their child has been bullied at school. In your mind, you want to immediately run down to your child's school, grab some Administrator or Teacher by the throat, and yell at him/her. However, stay calm and think about how your child is feeling. They probably did not want to come to you and tell you about the bullying because they believe that if you say or do something about it, the bullying might get worse. Sometimes they are right in their fears, but if your complaint process is handled right, more often than not, the bullying will stop.
Get the story of the
bullying as correct as possible from your child
Listen to your child with your heart and with your mind. Let
your child know they have done the right thing by coming to talk
to you and that you will find a way to help solve this problem.
Get your child's ideas on what they think is the best action to
take. Your child is feeling like they have lost control of
their school life and that someone else, the bully, is controlling
them. Let them know that you will be on their side, (their
“lawyerâ€Â) and will find a solution. Ask for their
cooperation if there needs to be minor changes on their part,
(i.e. a few changes in behavior, dress, or social skills).
Link to the New Jersey Office of Bias Crime and Community Relations on "Bullying."
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With
offices in Collingswood, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mininno
Law Offices' education lawyers proudly serve the following communities:
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