Special Education Law from A to Z

Attorney Lillian Wong will be one of the faculty members presenting in a 2-day practical course, Special Education Law From A to Z. This comprehensive seminar will lay out all the essential requirements surrounding IEP development, discipline procedures and due process hearings.

Location:
Crowne Plaza Boston-Woburn
15 Middlesex Canal Park
Woburn, MA 01801

Schedule:
May 5 and May 6, 2015 from 9:00am - 4:30pm

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Day 1

1. Unravelling Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) Complexities
   9:00 - 10:15, Daniel T.S. Heffernan
   1. Definitions of FAPE: IDEA vs. Section 504
   2. Definitions of Disabilities under Each Law
   3. What Services and/or Accommodations Must be Provided?
   4. Who is Protected?
2. Evaluation and Eligibility for Special Education Services
   10:30 - 11:45, Eileen M. Hagerty
   1. Procedural Safeguards for Parents, Students and Schools
   2. Documenting Parent Input
   3. Evaluations: Timelines, Testing and Best Practices
   4. Defensible Classroom Observations
   5. Determining Eligibility: Need for Services, Adverse Impact, Etc.
3. Developing and Implementing Defensible IEPs
   12:45 - 1:45. Eileen M. Hagerty
   1. Team Meetings: Ensuring all Members are Present
   2. Components of a Legally Defensible IEP
   3. Implementing IEPs: Monitoring, Documenting and Reporting
   4. Amending IEPs
4. Fulfilling Critical Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) and Placement Decision Obligations
   1:45 - 3:00, Janine A. Solomon
   1. LRE, Mainstreaming and Inclusion: What Must Schools Provide?
   2. Continuum of Alternate Placements
   3. Placement Decision Requirements
   4. Factors that Can and Cannot be Considered
   5. Changes in Placement: Necessary Procedures and Review
5. Essential Components of a 504 Plan
   3:15 - 4:30, Paige L. Tobin
   1. How 504 Plans Differ From IEPs
   2. Substantial Limitations and Major Life Activities: What are They?
   3. Curriculum Modification and Specially Modified Instruction
   4. Appropriate Evidence to Support 504 Plan Components
   5. Ensuring 504 Plan Accommodations are Reasonable

Day 2

1. Managing Behavioral Issues: Avoiding Critical Mistakes
   9:00 - 10:00, Lillian E. Wong
   1. Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs): Who Should be Involved?
   2. Creating Useful Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIPs)
   3. Handling Disagreements with Parents
   4. Restraint and Seclusion: Current Legal Perspectives
2. Discipline and Expulsion Essentials for Special Needs Students
   10:00 - 11:00, Michael J. Joyce
   1. Legal Rules Governing Removal or Expulsion
   2. Providing Services During Disciplinary Removal
   3. Handling Disciplinary Changes in Placement
   4. Multiple Suspensions and Denial of FAPE
3. Manifestation Determination Reviews (MDRs)
   11:15 - 12:15, Lillian E. Wong
   1. Ensuring Proper Timelines and Procedures for MDRs
   2. Essential Documentation for MDRs
   3. Determining the Cause of Misbehaviors: Disability, Failure to Implement the IEP or Neither?
   4. Proving or Disproving Schools Followed IEPs, FBAs and BIPs
4. Bullying and Special Education Students
   1:15 - 2:15, Michael J. Joyce
   1. When is Bullying a Denial of FAPE?
   2. Moving Bullied Students to Safer Environments: Legal Considerations
   3. Addressing Bullying Through IEPs and 504 Plans
   4. Legally Appropriate School Policies and Staff Training
5. Special Education Records: Handling Difficult Situations
   2:15 - 3:15, Pamela S. Milman
   
   1. What is and isn't an Education Record: IDEA, Section 504 and FERPA
   2. Email as Education Records
   3. Who is a Parent and What can They Access? IDEA and FERPA Definitions
   4. Retaining, Amending and Destroying Educational Records
6. Due Process Rights: Ensuring Appropriate Practices During Disputes
   3:30 - 4:30, Heather Gold
   1. Due Process Overview and Statutes of Limitations
   2. Notice Requirements and Timing Issues
   3. Informal Dispute Resolution: Mediation, Resolution Sessions and Negotiation
   4. How to Prepare for a Due Process Hearing
   5. Appealing Decisions