This E-newsletter is devoted to sharing information about special education, disability rights, mental health and human services law, political policy and research that is of importance to people with disabilities, their families, and the professionals that work with them. It also includes 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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Upcoming Matt Cohen and Associates webinars |
MCA is pleased to continue offering a series of free webinars and presentations scheduled every month through June. We are including a variety of new topics and guest speakers. Matt Cohen also will be available for "Ask the Lawyer" discussions on special education topics twice monthly. Check our website and Facebook page for updated offerings and see future webinars later in this email. Our next webinar is:
Extended School Year (ESY)
Verity Sandell
May 18, 4 p.m.
Learn the legal standard for eligibility for extended school year services and advocacy strategies to ensure your children are provided with the services they are entitled to under the law. Register in advance.
Ask the Lawyer with Matt Cohen
After registering in advance, you will receive a confirmation email with information on how to join the webinar.
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Chicago Public Schools facing top leadership shake up |
Three top officials, including CPS CEO Janice Jackson, have announced their resignations from the district, leaving Chicago’s mayor with three key posts to fill before a new, challenging school year begins in the fall.
Jackson was second in command when CPS illegally began decimating special ed services in 2014, but she has never publicly apologized or accepted responsibility for the policies which denied and delayed services to thousands of students. Matt helped litigate a complaint against CPS that led to state oversight of Chicago’s special ed program. The Chicago Tribune has more about the leadership changes.
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U.S. Supreme Court asked to weigh in on student speech protections |
The U.S. Supreme Court is being asked to weigh in on how the First Amendment applies to student speech that occurs off campus. The case is enormously important and will likely lead to an endorsement of school policies that allow discipline to be imposed for online speech that is not made at school or during school hours on the grounds of impact on school functioning. Such a decision would create a dangerous precedent for free speech broadly and for free speech for students in particular.
It also raises the ugly specter of school discipline creeping into the private lives of students and their families and threatens to create penalties for behaviors that students would reasonably believe are not school related and have no risk of being policed by the school. It seems inherently unfair that students could be punished and excluded from school for behavior that they did not know could result in school discipline.
Further, such a ruling would be difficult to craft in a way that could be interpreted narrowly and carefully, leading to the probable result that it would be overinclusive. In all likelihood, this will have an especially significant impact on students with disabilities, who are more likely to have challenges understanding the potential for such speech to be disruptive or to cause school discipline and/or know the consequences,and may have challenges that limit their ability to self-regulate and refrain from problematic online speech. Read more about the case from the Washington Post.
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Helping students cope with a year of trauma and loss |
While school district leaders and politicians worry about the pandemic’s learning loss, educators in classrooms across the country are focused on helping students deal with the stress and trauma of COVID. Helping students cope with the loss of a loved one or the fear of getting sick themselves is more important than math and reading drills, they argue.
“If kids don’t return to school and get a lot of attention paid to security, safety, predictability and re-establishing of strong, secure relationships, [they] are not gonna be able to make up ground academically,” says one child psychiatrist. WBEZ has more.
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Like Illinois law, Colorado fails to protect students from abusive seclusion and restraint |
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Two years ago, a Colorado principal restrained an eight-year old boy so tightly he passed out and began foaming at the mouth. The ensuing investigation and the Colorado Department of Education’s failure to take any corrective action — the principal is still at the school — show failings in the law. “There is no enforcement power,” says a lawyer representing the boy’s family. “There is no teeth in any of this.” Read more from Chalkbeat.
Illinois has faced similar challenges and a bill to restrict time outs and restraints is making its way, again, through the general assembly. HB 219, sponsored by Rep. Jonathan Carroll, passed the Illinois House in April and is awaiting committee action in the state senate. Find your state representatives and urge them to support the bill.
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Illinois failing its commitment to care for Autistic children |
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Illinois doesn’t rank last for caring for children with Autism but it’s also not on the list of top 10 most supportive states. That finding led the Chicago Tribune to support state legislation that would expand Medicaid eligibility to cover Applied Behavior Analysis therapy for Autistic children.
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Teachers share stories of stress, burnout and concern for their students |
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Teaching is one of the most stressful jobs during a normal school year. But the pandemic has made a difficult profession even more challenging and many teachers say they are at the breaking point.
NPR shares the voices of teachers in this piece. "It feels like we're building the plane while we're flying it," says one educator. "There were some points of lowness that I hadn't experienced before. There are some days where I feel like it's hard to keep going," says another. Listen to the full NPR piece.
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Should students be held back to make up for pandemic learning loss? |
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After the rough and tumble 2020 - 2021 school year, districts and state legislators are debating how to deal with a potential learning loss from the pandemic. Should students be held back if they aren’t meeting state-mandated benchmarks as determined by standardized tests? The answer to that question in 18 states is yes, causing concern among parents and educators.
“It’s a misguided law that was onerous before the pandemic,” says one a Michigan lawmaker about her state’s retention policy. “Now it’s just plain cruel.” Read more from Politico.
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Brad Dembs reflects on seeing a former client flourish
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As attorneys, our involvement in a family’s life often ends when the case concludes. But MCA attorney Brad Dembs recently had the opportunity to attend a former client’s Bar Mitzvah ceremony. He wrote a short reflection on what that experience meant to him.
“I could see how proud his parents and brothers were of him and, significantly, I could see how proud he was of himself,” Brad writes. “In addition to being proud of him, I was also proud of the work that we did to help put him in a position to build the skills he displayed at his ceremony.” Read Brad’s essay.
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- Assisted family to secure private executive functioning coaching for student with multiple disabilities for post high school as compensatory service for needs not met while in high school.
- Helped develop an improved 504 plan, including direct weekly social work services for a 5th grade student with a severe peanut allergy and resulting anxiety regarding attending school.
- Successfully advocating for increased inclusion and collaboration amongst all staff to consistently reinforce taught strategies.
- Secured an initial IEP for a student in 8th grade.
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Upcoming Webinars and Presentations
Ask the Lawyer Sessions
With Matt Cohen
Please only register if you plan to attend.
Extended School Year (ESY)
Verity Sendell
May 18, 4 p.m.
Learn the legal standard for eligibility for extended school year services and advocacy strategies to ensure your children are provided with the services they are entitled to under the law. Register in advance.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Twice-Exceptional (2E) Webinar
June 1, 4 p.m.
We will be defining 2e and discussing effective programming for twice exceptional students. In addition, we will provide recommendations for ways to advocate with schools as well as families’ rights under the law. Register in advance.
Literacy and Language-Based Learning Disabilities: From Science to Advocacy
Elizabeth Hooper, Verity Sandell and Molly Aceves
June 15, 4 p.m.
In this joint presentation with Molly Aceves, pediatric speech-language pathologist and learning disabilities specialist, and Matt Cohen and Associates, you will learn about language-based learning disabilities and how they impact reading and literacy. This presentation is for parents, advocates, attorneys, and others who support children and their families. Attendees will learn about the science of reading, the components of language involved in reading, and risk factors and red flags for language-based learning disabilities such as dyslexia. In addition, Elizabeth Hooper and Verity Sandell will provide information on advocating at school meetings. Register in advance.
Speech Pathology: Practical Tips for Parents
Matt Cohen, Sherri Cawn and Jerri Krantz of Cawn Krantz & Associates SLP
June 22, 4 p.m.
Matt Cohen will be joined by Sherri Cawn, MA CCC-SLP, and Jerri Krantz, MA, CCC-SLP, co-directors of the group Cawn Krantz, to discuss what is legally and practically possible during remote learning, what to do to facilitate a smooth transition back to in-person school and families’ rights to recover services that were lost. The focus will be on younger children and the emotional stress parents are feeling. Register in advance.
Speech Pathology Webinar for Clinicians and Providers
Matt Cohen, Sherri Cawn, and Jerri Krantz of Cawn Krantz & Associates SLP
June 29, 4 p.m.
Matt Cohen will be joined by Sherri Cawn, MA CCC-SLP, and Jerri Krantz MA, CCC-SLP, co-directors of the group Cawn Krantz, to discuss general topics for speech language pathologists, but geared to what they would need to know about supporting kids and families to assure they are receiving appropriate services. We will also have a brief discussion on how speech language evaluations and therapy services can be conducted remotely. Register in advance.
Mental Health and Covid
Matt Cohen and Verity Sandell joined by Joe Edwards and Layton Kirk of IFC Counseling
June 29, 7 p.m.
Taking care of your children and yourself. Join us as we discuss how COVID has been hard on everyone but especially challenging for kids with disabilities and their families. Register in advance.
Matt Cohen (With Andy Faust and Jessica Varn)
Lehigh University Special Education Law Conference
You Be the Judge--Mock Special Education Due Process Hearing
June 21, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Eastern Time
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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 2021 Illinois Super Lawyer, a distinction he has held since 2007. Matt also has been selected as an Illinois Leading Lawyer for 2021. 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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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? Click here for further details.
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BROCHURES AVAILABLE
We offer several different brochures related to the following topics, available by calling the office:
- 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
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ABOUT US
Matt 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 tami.kuipers@gmail.com.
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Matt Cohen CHADD Membership Support Fund |
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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
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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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