Blueprints for Special Education Online Workshop
Join our state's most prominent special education attorneys for an in-depth explanation of how to use the building blocks of the state and federal laws to develop appropriate services for your learner.
Meet our presenters:
Katherine George has been in private practice for more than 15 years, representing appellants and amicus parties in dozens of precedent-setting cases. She has extensive experience helping parents improve special education for children with disabilities. She was instrumental in the passage of the law regulating restraint and isolation of students in public schools. She represented children’s advocates in the landmark education funding case, McCleary v. State of WA, advocating for full funding of special education.
She also practices media/public records law.
Nicholle Mineiro is passionate about fighting for the rights of children and youth with disabilities.
She has personal experience herself as a parent navigating the complex world of special education. She regularly litigates special education and discrimination cases. She handles special education due process hearings, federal appeals, and state and federal court litigation.
Nicholle has practiced law for fourteen years in Washington and California. She earned her J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, a Masters in Education from Claremont Graduate University, as well as a B.A from UCLA in 1998.
Lara Hruska founded Cedar Law based on a holistic approach to school law informed by her unique background in education, social work, and the law. She is licensed to practice law in Washington and California. Lara received her JD from the University of Washington School of Law and also holds an MSW in Child and Family Welfare Policy from Columbia University, an MSEd in Special and General Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education, and a BA in Peace and Conflict Studies from U.C. Berkeley. She has experience teaching children from pre-kindergarten through middle school in California, New York, and Louisiana, where she served as the founding special education director for two post-Katrina charter schools in New Orleans. She was named a 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 Rising Star by Washington Super Lawyers. Lara currently serves on the board of the Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association (MAMAs) of Seattle. You can watch her 2016 oral argument on behalf of a student appellant in a special education matter before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit here.
Shannon McMinimee
Shannon has been practicing education and employment law since graduating with honors from the University of Washington School of Law in 2003. During law school, Shannon was a Managing Editor of the Washington Law Review and interned with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, and the Seattle School District. Prior to law school, she worked in social services. Shannon is a partner with Cedar Law, an Education Law Firm in Seattle.
Schedule:
9:00 - 9:30 - Meet and greet, introduction to WAA advocates, introduction to self-help resources
9:30 - 10:30 Group 1 - Initial Assessments, reevaluations, IEEs (60 min)
- How to formally request evaluations
- How to tie evaluations to developing effective and measurable goals
- What to do if the school did a cursory evaluation
- Evaluations for non-speaking or non-verbal students or students with challenging & disruptive behaviors
10:30 - 10:45 Mid Morning Break
10:45 - 11:45 Group 2 - Writing effective IEP Goals & Tracking Progress
- An ounce of prevention that most parents are capable of advocating for that can make a big difference
- Tips for what to look for in an IEP goal and what to demand not be part of an IEP goal.
- How much data can I ask for?
- How often can progress be reported?
- Trends in how districts are reporting data.
- How to document the IEP team meeting
11:45 - 12:15 – Lunch break
12:15 - 1:15 Group 3 - Full range of instructional arrangements, supplementary aids & services (60 min)
- How do I know if my student is receiving effective education?
- How do I negotiate for research based and evidence based methodology
- What if the school district's expectation of how much progress my learner can make in a year is REALLY low?
- How can I negotiate for access to general ed. for my learner with high support needs?
- How can I negotiate for access to the gifted program if my learner has social & organization needs?
- How to secure services for students who don't present with exceptional needs (needs fall through the cracks)?
- Transition Plans & Vocational Training
- What does 18-21 look like for college bound students with disabilities - College prep, etc.
1:15 - 1:30 – Afternoon Break
1:30 - 2:30 Group 4 - Resolving differences: Due Process; Citizen Complaints (60 min)
- Placement disagreements: How to negotiate for appropriate supports in the least restrictive environment
- What if there are no good options in the district: How & when do I negotiate for private placement
- Resolving differences: "I can't afford an attorney, my child's unable to benefit from digital learning, and school's refusing in person services!" Documentation along the way in case you need to file a complaint
- How to file a citizen’s complaint.
Adjourn 2:30 pm
Interpretation Services
If you need an interpreter, you must register 30 days prior to the workshop. Each breakout session will have a staff member teamed up with our presenters to support technical aspects.
Contact Phone: 425-894-7231
Email: Office@WashingtonAutismAdvocacy.org
