Special Education

What we do

Today there are 270,000 students with disabilities in Pennsylvania – 25,000 in Philadelphia alone. These students, like all, need an education that will allow them to reach their potential and lead productive, independent lives. But school districts rarely comply fully with their legal requirements. Too often, they fail to identify disabilities, provide support services, train faculty, or involve parents in decision-making, resulting in low academic achievement and high drop-out and suspension rates.

The Law Center’s goal is to secure a fair and appropriate public education for all children with disabilities by using due process complaints, federal appeals, class action lawsuits, and other strategies to compel meaningful structural changes in school districts. In addition, we educate families about their rights, empowering them to secure the services their children need, and we advocate for more effective special education policies at the local, state and national levels. Here is what we are currently working on:

Investigation into Discriminatory Practices in Upper Dublin

In a complaint filed on November 23 with the U.S. Department of Education, a group of African American parents in Upper Dublin contends that the local school district uses discriminatory practices that result in higher out-of-school suspension rates for black students and disproportionately place black students in lower level curricular programs. Concerned African American Parents (CAAP) alleges the district is violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and asks the Department to conduct a full investigation and require remedy of the problems. CAAP has also filed its complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. READ MORE

Know Your Child’s Rights Special Education Seminars

Our “Know Your Child’s Rights” Special Education workshops aim to educate parents, educators, attorneys and advocates so that they can advocate for the rights of children with disabilities. READ MORE

Language Access in the School District of Philadelphia

An estimated 14,000 students in Philadelphia schools are members of families whose primary language is not English. Even though it is mandated by federal and local law, the School District of Philadelphia systemically fails to provide the interpretation and translation services parents with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) need to meaningfully participate in their child’s education. READ MORE

The Philadelphia Project

Special education is broken in the School District of Philadelphia. In Philadelphia schools, students with disabilities often go unidentified for years, and those who are identified are often misdiagnosed. A large, underfunded district, Philadelphia rarely gives students the individualized support they need to overcome their disabilities or involves parents in their child’s education. Its programs are rigid, and important services like extra support, teacher training, and assistive technology are seldom available. READ MORE

Reforming Provision of Extended School Year Services

There are more than 17,000 students enrolled in the School District of Philadelphia who have been identified as having a disability. Each one is legally entitled to have their Individual Education Plan (IEP) team, with their parents, consider their need for Extended School Year services and develop an individualized service plan accordingly. Extended School Year or ESY services may be needed whenever school is closed – summer break, winter break, or other breaks. Many students with disabilities need services to continue learning crucial skills during these breaks and to halt regression. READ MORE

Systemic Failure of Early Intervention Service Provider

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania contracts with Elwyn to provide services to approximately 7,000 preschool-age children residing in Philadelphia. However, state-conducted investigations have revealed systemic failures in the organization to provide sufficient services to children within its care. The Law Center represents parents of children with disabilities in their disputes with Elwyn to ensure that their children receive the services necessary for educational progress. READ MORE

Stopping the Autism Shuffle

Individual Representations

By working with a team of pro bono attorneys at Dechert LLP, The Philadelphia Project has expanded the Law Center’s capacity to represent more individual families in administrative hearings. Through individual representation, we not only secure needed services for more children with disabilities, but we gain specific knowledge about widespread problems in the District that allows us to design effective strategies for systemic reform. READ MORE

Funding in the Chester Upland School District

In January of 2012, the Chester-Upland School District announced that it did not have enough money to continue operating through the end of the school year and without state intervention would be forced to close. READ MORE