Access to Education through Legal Aid
Athena (names changed to protect privacy) was concerned about her son Anthony. Anthony is a special needs student and Athena felt as if her son’s school was not giving him the support that he needed to be successful. The school made communication with Athena difficult after she expressed her concerns about how a teacher was treating Anthony. Even though the school was aware that Anthony had disabilities, they suspended him based on his disability related behavior.
Athena was not about to allow her son’s education to be disrupted in any way. She was so frustrated that she discussed it with her healthcare provider at University Hospitals. Because of University Hospitals’ relationship with Legal Aid through the Medical-Legal Partnership, she was referred to Legal Aid for assistance. Her Legal Aid attorney suggested that they request a meeting with the school to discuss modifying Anthony’s individualized education plan (IEP). Due to the poor relationship between Athena and school officials, her attorney requested the IEP meeting and represented her at the meeting.
As a result of several IEP meetings, Athena, her attorney, and school officials discussed several strategies to implement within Anthony’s IEP to help him meet his educational and behavior goals. Not to mention, the meetings helped to improve Athena’s relationship with school officials. Thanks to Athena for being a caring and attentive parent and her Legal Aid attorney, Anthony is getting his special needs met to help him to excel in school.
This is a case Legal Aid closed in 2023, and cases like this are handled daily by Legal Aid attorneys. Show your support for Legal Aid's work to extend justice and click here to make a gift today.