Clik here to view.
Ask for the Email
Whenever parents retain my firm, I ask them to sign a form requesting all of their child's education records be sent to me as their special education lawyer. It's a standard “FERPA” request…the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
35 Years of IDEA: A Dream Deferred?
A few days ago marked 35 years since the federal special education statute, now known as IDEA, was signed into law. It is hard to believe that within my lifetime, and probably yours, it was legally...
View ArticleClik here to view.
DON'T THROW AWAY ANYTHING!!!
Sometimes it's difficult to know what to to be happy about as an attorney who represents children with disabilities. As you can imagine, the facts that support a “really great special education case”...
View ArticleClik here to view.
IEEs: Do You Have to Explain Why You Disagree?
As I have covered on several occasions in the past, a parent's right to an Independent Education Evaluation (IEE) under the IDEA is, in my view, one of the strongest available under the special...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cherry Picking IEP Members
Despite nearly 15 years practicing special education law in Connecticut, there are still some old tricks which school districts employ which astound me. Not that I am surprised that they continue to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bullying of Kids with Disabilities: How One Young Man Took Back Control
For followers of my blog, you know that the bullying of kids with disabilities is a subject that I believe has long been overlooked. I have spoken and written about this topic for years, well before...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Weather or Naught
Okay…I know it’s that time of year again. IEP Season. From now through the end of June, I will be in numerous IEP meetings per week, sometimes a few a day. It’s enough to make a woman cranky. This...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Um. Okay. Thanks.
So, I already have a page of Ridiculous Comments made by school district personnel, and their lawyers. But lately, I’ve decided that my clients have some doozies also…so I’ve created this page:...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fictitious Thinking: The “New” Definition of Autism
Do you remember the character Cassandra from Greek mythology? Her curse was that she could accurately predict the future, but nobody would believe her when she warned them about it. Today I feel like...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Decade Without Bill
mobile spy free Ten years ago today, my dad, William “Bill” Laviano, died. I have written about him before, and his profound influence on me and on special education advocacy in Connecticut. As this...
View Article