Students with disabilities in PA can receive services until age 22, as part of a settlement in our federal class action suit
A school hallway with lockers
Pennsylvania’s students with disabilities can now receive a free and appropriate public education until they turn 22—a policy change that will provide months of additional support to young adults across the commonwealth. The change comes as part of a settlement reached in our federal class action lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), which we filed in July along with Berney & Sang.

In our lawsuit, we represented A.P., a 19-year-old student with multiple disabilities, and his family. Under PDE's previous policy--which aged students out of special education services at the end of the school term in which they turned 21--A.P. would have lost access to the services he receives in public school at the end of the 2025 school term, following his 21st birthday. That previous policy, we alleged, violated the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which guarantees students with disabilities the right to receive individualized support services until they either earn a regular high school diploma or turn 22.

Now, Pennsylvania's new age-out policy--effective immediately--complies with federal law. Our client, like other students with disabilities across Pennsylvania, will be able to continue to receive services until his 22nd birthday. A.P. will turn 22 in February 2026, more than six months after he would have lost services under PDE's previous policy.

The policy change also applies to eligible students who turned 21 during the 2022-23 school year and were prematurely exited from school under PDE’s old policy. These students will have the option to re-enroll in public school this school year. As part of the settlement, PDE has sent a letter to all families with 21-year-old students with disabilities who may be eligible to continue to receive services.
The settlement and policy change was covered by the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Associated Press. "These services are really valuable," Law Center staff attorney Caroline Ramsey said. "This is a student population that could really benefit from more services at this really critical time as they transition out of school and into adult life.”
On Sept. 12, show your support for local gun safety laws ahead of our PA Supreme Court oral argument
Oral argument will be held in Philadelphia City Hall.


This case challenges an unjust status quo--a state legislature that has rejected calls to take action to curb gun violence for decades while blocking local lawmakers from passing their own firearm-safety ordinances. On September 12, join families who have been impacted by gun violence for a vigil remembering those who have lost their lives and demanding change. Together, we can make it clear that the current legal landscape is unacceptable and unconstitutional, and that Harrisburg must remove the roadblocks for local gun safety action.

When: Tuesday, September 12, 12 PM.
Where: City Hall, Northeast Corner
Hosted by CeaseFirePA, our client taking on state firearm preemption
At argument, with co-counsel from Hogan Lovells and the Philadelphia Law Department, we will make the case that family members of gun violence victims deserve the chance to prove at trial that the status quo for Pennsylvanians in communities that face endemic gun violence violates our state constitution, which guarantees a fundamental right to life and liberty. 
Help make fair school funding a reality: The latest on the Basic Education Funding Commission
Legislative leaders have chosen to accept Commonwealth Court's judgement that Pennsylvania's public school funding system violates the state constitution, failing to appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Our leaders in Harrisburg must now comply with our state's constitution by providing for a comprehensive, contemporary and effective education in every school district in Pennsylvania, regardless of wealth.

This work begins now--and you can help. The first step: state leaders must determine what level of funding is needed to allow students in every community to attend a public school that provides the meaningful opportunities guaranteed by the constitution. Right now, Pennsylvania does not even attempt to determine how much funding public schools need, but we know they are missing the mark by billions of dollars. 

This must include special education, pre-K, and school facilities, in addition to K-12 instruction. More state support must be directed to the students who need it most in low-wealth urban, suburban and rural school districts. 

Make your voice heard: Submit comments and show your support to the Basic Education Funding Commission

The state’s Basic Education Funding Commission, meeting this fall, must begin the work of developing and implementing a new, fair system. State officials have promised to develop a plan for a constitutional funding system in time for next year's state budget process. To do this, the commission will hear testimony in public hearings across Pennsylvania from educators, parents, and experts. Public hearings will begin September 12 in Allentown and will be livestreamed--see the list below for times and locations for the opening hearings. Please attend if you can and show your support for strong public schools!

  • Tuesday, September 12, Allentown. 10:00 AM, Allentown SD Admin. Building, 31 South Penn St., Allentown, PA. Add to Calendar Outlook (iCal) or Google Calendar. Supporters of public education will gather before the hearing for a speak-out.
  • Wednesday, September 13, Harrisburg. 9:00 AM. Hearing Room 1, North Office Building, State Capitol. Add to Calendar Outlook (iCal) or Google Calendar
  • Thursday, September 14, Philadelphia. 2:00 PM. Philadelphia SD Admin. Building, 440 North Broad St., Philadelphia, PA. Add to Calendar Outlook (iCal) or Google Calendar

The Basic Education Funding Commission would like to hear from Pennsylvania parents, students, educators and taxpayers. Please consider sending the commission a brief comment through their online form. You can share your experience with the impact of underfunding in Pennsylvania public schools, your vision for what fully-funded public schools would mean for students, or your thoughts on why building a constitutional school funding system is essential for the future of our commonwealth. Your advocacy can make it clear to our legislators and the Governor that Pennsylvanians are demanding a public school funding system that fulfills our constitution's promise.
We sued OCF Realty, one of Philadelphia's largest real estate brokerages, for source of income discrimination
Renters using Housing Choice Vouchers--also known as Section 8--face widespread discrimination and categorical denials, with many landlords refusing to even consider them as tenants because of how they pay rent. Philadelphia law is clear: this is illegal.

On August 25, we sued OCF Realty, one of Philadelphia's largest real estate companies, for source of income discrimination. Our client, a 44-year-old Philadelphian with disabilities who holds a voucher, and several fair housing testers were told that OCF does not accept vouchers at any of the more than 3,000 rental properties it manages, including many affordable units in high-opportunity neighborhoods. We were joined by pro bono co-counsel from Dechert LLP.

The case was covered by KYW News Radio and WHYY. “The system needs to change,” our client Jennifer Cooper told WHYY. “There needs to be some accountability for these landlords.”

"[Our client] is running into what many tenants with vouchers are running into,” Law Center staff attorney Sari Bernstein told KYW, “which is this blatant and explicit discrimination against how they’re planning to pay their rent. And without [a voucher], it’s nearly impossible for someone like Ms. Cooper to find housing.”
Get your tickets today!

Our annual celebration, The Time is Now, will be held Sept. 20 at the Fairmount Water Works
Join us to celebrate and support our work at the Water Works on September 20 for our annual celebration, The Time is Now! Tickets and sponsorships are available - reserve your spot today! Tickets are $225 and $100 for nonprofit friends and colleagues.

All proceeds support our work standing up for fundamental rights all year long. The exciting event features a cocktail reception, program, festivities, and entertainment from PME Drumline and event emcee QuentinThePoet.
PME Drumline
This year, we honor those who stand with us to take on gun violence by clearing the roadblocks for local action. We will recognize the people who made our case against firearm preemption, which blocks most local gun safety measures, possible: our clients, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh residents who have lost loved ones to gun violence; our pro bono counsel Hogan Lovells; and Nancy Bregstein Gordon, founder of CeaseFirePA.
Our client Stanley Crawford (right)
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Nancy Gordon
Honoree spotlight: Nancy Gordon is a lawyer and activist who has spent over two decades working to reduce gun violence in Pennsylvania and nationwide. From 2010 to 2018, Nancy co-taught the Supreme Court Clinic at Penn Law, which provided pro bono representation in cases in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Nancy became involved in gun violence prevention in 2000, as one of the core group of organizers of the Million Mom March. She led the Pennsylvania delegation to the historic march on Washington on Mothers’ Day 2000, calling on Congress to pass sensible gun laws. To continue that effort, Nancy co-founded CeaseFirePA, the Commonwealth’s leading organization dedicated to ending gun violence. She currently chairs the group’s Litigation Committee and previously served for many years as a Board member and President.
Check out our event webpage for more information about the evening's entertainment, venue, and our generous sponsors who make The Time is Now possible and support all of our work.
Join us and PA Schools Work Sept. 7 for a free webinar: How the BEF Commission can Change the Game for PA Public Schools
Join PA Schools Work for a webinar. Your role in fixing Pennsylvania's unconstitutional education funding system. How the Basic Education Funding Commission Can Change the Game for PA Public Schools
Join us and our partners with PA Schools Work for our next free evening webinar on Thursday, September 7th at 7PM to talk about how the Basic Education Funding Commission can change the game for Pennsylvania public schools — and how you can play an important part in fixing our public education funding problem in the Commonwealth.

What: Your Role in Fixing Pennsylvania's Unconstitutional School Funding System
When: Thursday, Sept. 7, 7 PM
We're seeking applications for 2024 summer law student interns
The Law Center is currently seeking applications for 2024 summer law student internships. The Amy Ginensky & Andy Rogoff Emerging Advocate Initiative is our internship program for law students seeking an opportunity to immerse themselves in high impact legal work.

At the Law Center, students will experience in civil rights law and learn the inner workings of one of Philadelphia’s premier public interest firms. Law Center attorneys, organizers and staff are committed to helping train the next generation of civil rights attorneys, advocates, and nonprofit leaders. Through our internship program, we offer mentorship and support; host guest speakers and other opportunities to learn more about a variety of areas of law and public interest advocacy; and provide practical education in skills like legal writing. We offer limited funding opportunities for law students through the Clarke Scholars Fund for the summer program. Learn more here.
Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP and lawyers' response to the civil rights movement
Left: President Lyndon Johnson signs the 1964 Civil Rights Act in the presence of Martin Luther King and others.

We recently learned that the Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis law firm will soon wind down its operations and dissolve itself after nearly 90 years. The firm played a critical role in the founding of the Law Center, and indeed in advancing civil rights through public interest lawyering across the country in response to the civil rights movement.

In 1963, Bernard Segal was head of Schnader and President of the American Bar Association. In the middle of southern violence in defense of Jim Crow racial segregation, President Kennedy—responding to calls by Segal and others—convened a meeting of 244 lawyers in the East Room of the White House, urging attorneys to join the struggle to protect civil rights. Segal responded by convening lawyers from around the country to volunteer to represent victims of racial discrimination and violence in the South. This was the origination of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Our organization was founded as the Philadelphia chapter of the Lawyers’ Committee in 1969, with early crucial support from Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis. That has continued unabated to this day. David Smith, a partner at Schnader, is our longest serving board of directors member and a former Law Center board chair. David’s wise counsel and dedication to our work has been an important factor in our survival into our seventh decade. Read more here.