​I am excited to announce that I will be officially forming a partnership with special education attorney Allison Boscarine on July 15, 2019.  Our new partnership will give clients the benefit of each of our respective experience in special education law and litigation that will enable us to provide excellent client service throughout the life cycle of a special education matter.  The new firm will be named Wong & Boscarine, LLC.  On July 15, my new main number will be (857) 529-8494 and my main email will be lillian@wongboscarine.com.   Please visit us at www.wongboscarine.com.  

On October 30, 2018, advocates for Massachusetts children with special needs  gathered at Harvard Law School for Massachusetts Advocates for Children's annual event. The Law Office of Lillian E. Wong, LLC was an early sponsor of the event. The Honorable Julian T. Houston, Retired Justice of the Superior Court of Massachusetts, presented a moving keynote speech.  Attorney Wong was also highlighted for her pro bono work with MAC alongside other attorneys, advocates, and evaluators. 

Former BSEA Hearing Officer William Crane also attended the event.  Mr. Crane worked at the BSEA from 1999 to 2014.  For the next three years, he volunteered at MAC before retiring from the field.    Attorney Wong's first case at the BSEA was before Hearing Officer Crane and she consulted with him on several pro bono matters when he was at MAC.  He has been a true champion for children with special needs and their families.

We are pleased to announce that for the sixth consecutive year, Attorney Lillian Wong has been selected to the Super Lawyer New England Rising Star list for her work in School and Education Law.  Lillian Wong is a special education attorney who represents and advocates for children's educational rights throughout Massachusetts.  Her office is located north of Boston in Topsfield, Massachusetts.

Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a multiphase selection process. Peer nominations and evaluations are combined with third party research. No lawyer pays to be selected to the list.

We would also like to congratulate the other Massachusetts attorneys named Rising Stars in School & Education Law - Melanie Jarboe and Alicia Warren at Kotin Crabtree & Strong, Daniel Perlman at Moor, Pearlman & Gregg, Torie Roig and Kate Welby at the Law Office of Laura Gillis, Naomi Shatz and David Russcol at Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein and Sarah Fay at Schwartz Hannum. 

Attorney Wong recently prevailed in a discovery dispute at the Bureau of Special Education Appeals ("BSEA").  The BSEA does not always publish its rulings, so this Order provides some insight into prehearing motion practice at the BSEA.  The Ruling, In Re: Flavio & Beverly Public Schools BSEA #18-10763 (Byrne, 2018) can be read here.

The Ruling was issued in response to the District's request for a protective order.  The Parents believe the school's program for their child is not appropriate, and requested, among other things the redacted IEPs of the other students in their child's school program.  The District argued that the Parents' request was intrusive, irrelevant and overly burdensome.   The District further contended that the production of sensitive information about other students would violate the privacy rights of those students without a countervailing benefit to the student (given the pseudonym "Flavio" by the hearing officer." 

Attorney Wong successfully argued that information about the student's cognitive, educational and behavioral characteristics were critical to their assessment of the appropriateness of the District's program.  In addition, Attorney Wong, relaying on a "long line of consistent decision" at the BSEA, established that the documents sought, appropriately cleansed of all potentially identifying student information, are not immune from disclosure in special education administrative hearings.  As the Hearing Officer explained,

This Ruling is important because it provides Parents' with  an additional published ruling explaining the redacted IEPs provide "critical information" for their BSEA case.

If you are considering hiring an attorney to represent your child's rights at the BSEA, contact Lillian E. Wong today.

The Law Office of Lillian E. Wong, LLC is pleased to be an early sponsor for the Massachusetts Advocates for Children's Annual Celebrating Voices Event.  The event will highlight MAC's legal advocacy in collaboration with the legal community for children's educational rights in Massachusetts.  Attorney Wong is proud to partner with MAC as a pro bono attorney and looks forward to seeing many friends and colleagues on October 30th at Harvard Law School's Wasserstein Hall. 

On July 9, 2018, the Bureau of Special Education Appeals ("BSEA") ruled that the Andover Public Schools ("Andover") had violated the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ("IDEA") by failing to offer a nine-year-old boy with dyslexia an Individualized Education Plan ("IEP") that provided a Free Appropriate Public Education ("FAPE").  The BSEA ordered Andover to reimburse the family for their costs of unilaterally placing their son at the Landmark School and found that the student continued to require intensive, specialized instruction in a fully-subseparate language-based program.

This victory is rare for many reasons.  First, more than 90% of parties that request a hearing at the BSEA ultimately settle and do not go to hearing.  (Read more about quiet victories here).  Second, if the case does go to hearing, parents only prevail in about 20% of the cases.  (Read more about other dispute resolutions mechanisms here).  Third, because of the legal mandate to keep students in the least restrict environment ("LRE") hearing officers are incredibly reluctant to order this type of placement, especially when the student is in the early elementary years.  

​You can read the entire decision here.  If you believe your child's educational rights are being violated, contact an attorney with experience litigating cases at the BSEA.  You can learn more about BSEA hearings here.

On June 7, 2018, the Special Needs Advocacy Network, Inc. ("SPAN") hosted its 10th Annual Same Side of the Table forum. BSEA Director, Reece Erlichman, moderated a panel of two hearing officers (Rosa Figueroa and Catherine Putney-Yaceshyn), Parent Attorney Lillian Wong, School Attorney Paige Tobin and several advocates and SPED Administrators. 

The presenters discussed their approaches to settlement conferences and due process hearings by reviewing actual case decisions.  The panelists highlighted successful strategies for staying student-focused throughout the the framework of IDEA.  Thank you to all the parents, advocates, and educators that attended this event.

On April 2, 2018, Russell Johnston, PhD, the Senior Associate Commissions and State Director of Special Education issued a Technical Assistance Advisory called "Addressing the Communication Needs of Students with Disabilities Through Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)"  Dr. Johnston begins the advisory by expressing his  concern that Massachusetts students with limited oral communication skills have insufficient access to AAC.  The purpose of the advisory is to encourage more consistency in AAC services throughout the state and to remind schools districts of best practices and legal responsibilities.
​You can read the entire advisory here.

Today, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education ("DESE") issued an administrative advisory on graduation requirements for students with IEPs.  You can read the entire document here. 

The advisory specifically addresses whether and when a student may refuse a diploma in order to continue to receive transition and other special education services.   

DESE concludes that a student cannot "refuse" a diploma, outright.  At the same time, a student (or parent) can reject the graduation date on the IEP (based on FAPE) and invoke stay-put (thereby continuing to receive the services).  The result of this procedure is similar to the outright refusal of the diploma, but the process allows for a more individualized approach and builds in dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediation or a due process hearing.

If you have a question about transition services, graduation requirements, and FAPE, contact Boston area Law Office of Lillian E. Wong today.