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School is in session - Time for an
IEP Checkup! Is your child's IEP giving them all they need? Does it have the right goals, objectives and evaluation procedures? Do the services and accommodations provide all they are entitled to? If you want an IEP Checkup, Click
HERE:
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| Contact Us 866-787-9270 |
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About Us
To find out more about Matt Cohen & Associates, our staff, and the services we provide,
click here.
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This E-newsletter is devoted to sharing information about special education, disability rights, mental health and human services law, policy and research that is of importance to people with disabilities, their families, and the professionals that work with them.
Information includes political issues, important research, legal developments, and information based on our experiences that we hope will help you personally in your individual and professional efforts. It also provides updates and news about our firm and its activities. We hope you find it helpful and welcome your comments and suggestions.
-Matt Cohen
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MCA weekly webinar: MCA Ask the Lawyer
Matt Cohen hosts a weekly webinar to answer questions about special ed law and advocacy. These webinars are intended to answer general questions. If you have specific questions about your child, please schedule a meeting with one of our staff.
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Matt Cohen and Associates: Upcoming webinars
To deal with the huge disruption to our education system, which has severely impacted special ed students, our firm is offering free webinars to help parents and others navigate the new terrain of remote learning and other issues critical to children and individuals with disabilities.
June and July webinars
ESY - Extended school year, Brad Dembs, June 9
Advocate vs. Attorney,
Matt Cohen & Elizabeth Hooper, June 16
Least Restrictive Environment,
M
att Cohen, July 7
Adoption/Trauma Issues & Special Ed,
N
ina Hennessey-Tamburo & Matt Cohen, July 28
Register in advance
More details about each webinar can be found here.
After registering in advance, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Please refer to our website and our Facebook page
for more information.
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School districts seek spending flexibility due to coronavirus
Groups representing school districts across the country want the federal government to grant additional spending flexibility under IDEA because of the pandemic. By law, districts are supposed to spend at least as much on special education each year as they did the prior year, but districts worry additional costs for remote learning and other COVID-19 expenses will make that impossible.
Disability advocates are pushing back, arguing that tinkering with the law could lead to cuts in special ed positions and other services. READ MORE
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Lawsuit challenges service cutbacks for non-verbal students with autism
A class action lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania alleges that students with autism are being denied the education they are entitled to because the governor failed to name education services for non-verbal and partially verbal students a "life sustaining" service. As a result, the suit claims, autistic students are not getting the services they need and are regressing.
READ MORE
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America's schools face a looming financial meltdown
The headline says it all. School districts across the country are in panic mode, staring down potentially devastating budget cuts next year due to the pandemic. Local districts receive nearly half of their funding through state allocations, but with businesses shuttered, state tax revenues have taken a nose-dive.
"I think we're about to see a school funding crisis unlike anything we have ever seen in modern history," warns one school finance advocacy organization. "We are looking at devastation that we could not have imagined ... a year ago." READ MORE
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HEROES Act promises more funds for individuals with disabilities, but Senate blocks the plan
The HEROES Act, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in May, includes extra money dedicated to services for individuals with disabilities. But the bill faces a roadblock in the U.S. Senate.
The $3 trillion relief bill includes an estimated $10 to $15 billion in additional funding for Medicaid home and community-based services. And it retroactively grants $500 cash payments for adults with disabilities who are claimed as dependents--individuals who were excluded from the first round of stimulus checks. READ MORE
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COPAA offers trainings for special ed advocates and attorneys
The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) offers several trainings for advocates and attorneys and registration for the year-long Special Education Advocate Training (SEAT) 2 opens this month.
The training is a year-long course with classroom, self-study and a required practicum, that provides participants with the information, training and practical experience to become a special education advocate. Matt Cohen is a COPAA board member.
READ MORE
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Eight things Chicago special ed parents need to know about remote learning
With schools in Chicago shut down for the rest of the academic year--and questions about whether in-person school will resume in the fall--the educational news source Chalkbeat has compiled a tip sheet for Chicago Public School (CPS) special ed parents. READ MORE
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Recent Firm Successes
- Secured agreement not to pursue truancy proceedings for student with multiple intermittent health issues causing school absences..
- Secured 1 ½ on ACT for student attending private school who had never had IEP or 504 plan.
- Secured placement of kindergartener in private therapeutic school for students with severe multiple disabilities.
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Matt Cohen is once again a contributing author for the K and W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities, published by Penguin Random House. His article, "10 Things College Students with Disabilities Need to Know About their Rights," will appear in the 15th edition of the guide.
Matt Cohen & Associates has been selected the Best Local Business for the 2020 Best of Chicago Awards. The award recognizes the firm's commitment to community service.
Matt Cohen again has been selected by his peers as a 2020
Illinois Super Lawyer, a distinction he has held since 2007. Matt also has been selected
as an Illinois Leading Lawyer for 2020.
The distinction of being a Leading Lawyer has been earned by fewer than 5 percent of all lawyers licensed to practice law in Illinois.
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Brochures Available
We offer several different brochures related
to the following topics:
- Introduction to College Accommodations
- IEPs and 504 Plans - Navigating the Maze
- Tips for Obtaining Accommodations for the ACT, SAT and other Placement Exams
- Obtaining an Independent Educational Evaluation
- Tips for Obtaining Appropriate Services for Your Child With Autism
- Classroom Observation
To request multiple copies for your clients,
please call us at 866-787-9270.
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May 2020 E-Newsletter
M
att Cohen is the founder of the Chicago law firm Matt Cohen & Associates LLC.
The practice is concentrated in representation of children and families in special education and discipline disputes with public schools, disability rights advocacy, including advocacy for accommodations in admissions and licensing tests and in colleges and graduate schools and legal assistance to mental health and human services professionals and the organizations they work for.
For more information about Matt Cohen and the staff and to view this email in your browser, please visit our
website.
If you have any questions, please contact his assistant, Tami Kuipers at 866-787-9270
or [email protected].
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A Guide to Special Education Advocacy -
What Parents, Clinicians and Advocates Need to Know
written by Matt Cohen
published in 2009
$20 plus $4.95 shipping to order, call Tami at 866-787-9270 or [email protected] |
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Disclaimer:
The material in this enews has been prepared by Matt Cohen & staff for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. We assume no responsibility for the accuracy or timeliness of any information provided herein. Internet subscribers and online readers should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel. This information is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.
We would be pleased to communicate with you via email. However, if you communicate with us through the Web site regarding a matter for which we do not already represent you, your communication may not be treated as privileged and confidential. Do not send us confidential, proprietary or other sensitive information until you speak with one of our attorneys and receive authorization to send that information. Matt Cohen is providing this enews, the information, listings, and links contained herein only as a convenience to you.
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