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Join special education attorneys for an in-depth training workshop on utilizing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to develop appropriate services for your child or student. This workshop will provide a comprehensive understanding of your child’s special education program and your rights. The training will be held via Zoom webinar.
Meet our presenters:
David Weafer, Ford Law Firm PLLC
David is an attorney experienced with education and disability rights law, fighting for the educational opportunities of people with disabilities in Washington State. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School. At Ford Law Firm, he has helped clients obtain access to new services, private placements, and compensatory education. Prior to practice in Washington, he worked for the non-profit advocacy organization Disability Rights California, providing legal representation to people with disabilities in multiple areas. This included monitoring and enforcement of educational rights violations, helping review and draft legislation, and providing education and training to disability advocacy groups.
David is motivated to defend the right of every family and student…
David is motivated to defend the right of every family and student to access a fair and appropriate education. This work has included oversight and accountability for schools that leave students behind and for government agencies that fail to provide schools with the resources to teach students who qualify for special education.
David has helped students who have been left years behind grade level obtain the support needed to access an equal education. This support includes counseling and negotiation on behalf of families and, when needed, litigation to force compliance with the law and changes to District policies. The experience and expertise David brings to the table saves families time and money by getting results from Districts who can otherwise engage in years of refusal.
Time spent in the classroom without appropriate supports can never be fully made up, and each student deserves to be seen as an individual and given access to the tools they need to succeed in school.
Katherine George, Johnston George
Kathy has been in private practice for more than 17 years, focusing on education law and the public’s right to know about government. She has represented appellants and amicus parties in dozens of precedent-setting cases.
In the civil rights arena, she helps parents improve special education for children with disabilities. She also helps news organizations and citizens exercise their right to know under government sunshine laws, including handling the Seattle Times efforts to apply the Public Records Act to the controversial Northwest School of Innovative Learning (NWSOIL).
Before practicing law, Katherine worked for 15 years as a …
Before practicing law, Katherine worked for 15 years as a political reporter and assistant city editor at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, where she won the National Press Club Freedom of the Press Award in 1996 as well as various regional awards. She began her law career in 2005 as a law clerk to the Hon. Gerry Alexander, then chief justice of the Washington Supreme Court. Kathy’s legal work has been recognized with the highest possible Avvo rating (10) and designation as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers magazine in 2013 and 2015. She was honored to receive The Arc of King County’s “Living Our Legacy Award” for children’s advocacy in 2017, and the Washington Coalition for Open Government’s James Andersen Award for public service in 2014.
Kathy is known as a passionate advocate both in and out of the courtroom. She was instrumental in the passage of House Bill 1240, the 2015 state law protecting vulnerable children from excessive physical restraint and isolation in public schools. She represented a coalition of children’s advocates in the landmark education funding case, McCleary v. State of Washington, and in more recent cases advocating for full funding of services and facilities for children with disabilities. She served for 8 years as Gov. Jay Inslee’s appointee on the State Sunshine Committee, working to reduce secrecy in state and local government. She co-founded the non-profit Attorneys for Education Rights, which advocates for children with disabilities in the legal and policy arenas.
Mary Griffin, Northwest Justice Project (NJP)
Mary is a lawyer who focuses exclusively on the education of students with disabilities ages 3-22 in the State of Washington.
She is a 2017 graduate of Seattle University Law School. Over the past decade, her tireless advocacy as a parent and attorney has included serving as President of the Seattle Special Education PTSA, Special Education Attorney at Washington Autism Alliance…
Mary is a lawyer who focuses exclusively on the education of students with disabilities ages 3-22 in the State of Washington.
She is a 2017 graduate of Seattle University Law School. Over the past decade, her tireless advocacy as a parent and attorney has included serving as President of the Seattle Special Education PTSA, Special Education Attorney at Washington Autism Alliance (WAA), and as a member of the Seattle Superintendent’s Special Education Advocacy and Advisory Committee. She is a member of the national Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) and Attorneys for Education Rights (AFER).
She has advocated at local and state levels to promote inclusionary practices and to limit the use of restraint and isolation as well as exclusionary discipline.
Prior to law school, Mary obtained a Master’s degree in Nursing from the University of Washington and worked as a nurse practitioner for a local medical practice. She has presented many times on aspects of Special Education Law to parents and guardians.
Schedule
9:00 – 9:15 am, Welcome message, and overview of our resources and self-help tools
9:15 -10:15 am, Session I: Drafting Effective IEP Goals and Monitoring Progress Reports
10:15 – 10:30 am, mid-morning break
10:30 – 11:30 am, Session II: Full range of instructional arrangements and related services (Placement: Least Restrictive Environment, Private Schools and Non-Public Agencies)
11:30 am – 12:00 pm, lunch break
12:00 – 1:00 pm, Session III: Student Discipline: Restraint and Isolation, Suspension and Expulsion. Manifestation of disability, Determination Hearings, Functional Behavior Assessments, Positive Behavior Intervention Plans
1:00 – 1:15 pm, afternoon break
1:15 – 2:15 pm, Session IV: Resolving Disputes: Citizen Complaints, Due Process Administrative Hearings, and Community Complaints
2:15 – 2:30 pm, Quality Assurance Survey, concluding remarks
2:30 pm, Adjourn
Accommodations and Interpretation Services
Please notify us of any accommodation requests before the workshop. Interpretation services require 30 days’ notice. Contact us via email: [email protected]
*Participants will receive the Zoom link one day prior to the workshop.
