Re: Re: Annual Legal Conference for Educators - February 28! (Nat'l Educators Law I

[Guest guest]

, I hate to bail on you, but I'm not getting to go to the TCASE

Mid-Winter Conference. Our budget revision didn't come through in time. I

really hate it! Was all set to go wearing an autism shirt, my Federation of

Families pin & an autism lanyard! J

Do have a friend that might get to go & will share notes & handouts if she

does.

Tonya

From: Texas-Autism-Advocacy

[mailto:Texas-Autism-Advocacy ] On Behalf Of

Heiligenthal

Sent: Monday, January 21, 2008 10:06 AM

To: Texas-Autism-Advocacy

Subject: Re: Annual Legal Conference for Educators -

February 28! (Nat'l Educators Law I

Re: Annual Legal Conference for Educators - February 28! (Nat'l

Educators Law Institute)

The sponsors of this workshop are school attorneys that I used to work

with, and while I like them personally, Tonya is correct--their focus

won't be on how to help kids. I'm sure employee liability will be the

primary focus, but it will be from a CYA perspective. Liability in

this area is similar to the law pertaining to firing teachers--it's

much easier to fire someone for not turning in lesson plans in

compliance with written policy than for woeful incompetence. Which is

why it can be very difficult to get the latter out of the classroom

and some schools just don't even try.

I, too, recommend the slaw workshops--which are coming to the

Houston and metroplex areas this spring. Tonya's promised me she's

" scouting " the legal panel at the special ed director's convention

week after next, and I've decided to forego the $400+ UT Law School

legal seminar that doesn't include much on special education and whose

speakers in that area this year hold limited interest for me and

accepting the Walsh, firm's invitation to their spring

special ed law seminar for only $150. I'll try to report back here

the information that this listserve might find relevant. The topics

are grouped in issues by disability--learning disabled, et cetera.

And, to the educator who felt they were being identified as the

enemy--no, educators are not the enemy of parents. But there are

school attorneys who make a pattern and practice of demonizing parents

in representing school districts. I could, but won't, name at least a

handful that I've observed first hand. I represent students with a

fill range of disabilities, some of which have genetic components. So

it is always curious to me when a school attorney can't wait to tell

me how " crazy " my client is when they are the natural parent of a

child with emotional disabilities. I represent people I hope I can

help, and one of the only times I've initiated parting company with a

parent was a parent who deliberately failed to show up at an ARD she

hired me to attend (from a couple of hundred miles away), and didn't

even tell me until I was almost at the school. I can't represent

clients who deliberately deceive me, but I'll work with parents with

their own disabilities as much as I can.

The " enemy " are attorneys who attempt to use the law to keep children

from the services they need and are entitled to. And I can also list

you a handful that I can depend on to work with me within the law to

ensure the child gets what they need. In the long run, that benefits

not only the child, but also the educators working with the child, and

the school, which should have better standardized test scores from

that child on which to be judged.

So--when educators detect some hostility on this site, please

understand that the most frequent obstacle to getting autistic

children what they need is often a specific educator (often the

special education director) or a school attorney--so assuming you're

here to learn more about the needs of autistic children, you're

probably not in that group and shouldn't take it personally.

[Guest guest]

Hi:

Thank you for your explanation of the " enemy. " I meant no harm to an

educator with that statement. Parents who participate on these list-servs know

it's TEA bureaucracy and school districts' attorneys who are calling all the

shots; the educators are following directives and are not the enemy. Our

children's education and services are in the hands of the almighty Attorney,

period. I feel that educators who are not involved directly in the ARD process

don't understand all the stress and pain parents go through.

Sincerely, Vivian

Heiligenthal wrote:

Re: Annual Legal Conference for Educators - February 28! (Nat'l

Educators Law Institute)

The sponsors of this workshop are school attorneys that I used to work

with, and while I like them personally, Tonya is correct--their focus

won't be on how to help kids. I'm sure employee liability will be the

primary focus, but it will be from a CYA perspective. Liability in

this area is similar to the law pertaining to firing teachers--it's

much easier to fire someone for not turning in lesson plans in

compliance with written policy than for woeful incompetence. Which is

why it can be very difficult to get the latter out of the classroom

and some schools just don't even try.

I, too, recommend the slaw workshops--which are coming to the

Houston and metroplex areas this spring. Tonya's promised me she's

" scouting " the legal panel at the special ed director's convention

week after next, and I've decided to forego the $400+ UT Law School

legal seminar that doesn't include much on special education and whose

speakers in that area this year hold limited interest for me and

accepting the Walsh, firm's invitation to their spring

special ed law seminar for only $150. I'll try to report back here

the information that this listserve might find relevant. The topics

are grouped in issues by disability--learning disabled, et cetera.

And, to the educator who felt they were being identified as the

enemy--no, educators are not the enemy of parents. But there are

school attorneys who make a pattern and practice of demonizing parents

in representing school districts. I could, but won't, name at least a

handful that I've observed first hand. I represent students with a

fill range of disabilities, some of which have genetic components. So

it is always curious to me when a school attorney can't wait to tell

me how " crazy " my client is when they are the natural parent of a

child with emotional disabilities. I represent people I hope I can

help, and one of the only times I've initiated parting company with a

parent was a parent who deliberately failed to show up at an ARD she

hired me to attend (from a couple of hundred miles away), and didn't

even tell me until I was almost at the school. I can't represent

clients who deliberately deceive me, but I'll work with parents with

their own disabilities as much as I can.

The " enemy " are attorneys who attempt to use the law to keep children

from the services they need and are entitled to. And I can also list

you a handful that I can depend on to work with me within the law to

ensure the child gets what they need. In the long run, that benefits

not only the child, but also the educators working with the child, and

the school, which should have better standardized test scores from

that child on which to be judged.

So--when educators detect some hostility on this site, please

understand that the most frequent obstacle to getting autistic

children what they need is often a specific educator (often the

special education director) or a school attorney--so assuming you're

here to learn more about the needs of autistic children, you're

probably not in that group and shouldn't take it personally.

[Guest guest]

Had a teacher tell me once that she didn't really understand the parent's

plight at the ARD table until she had to go through one for her step-son.

She was horrified at how she felt and this is a lady who holds a

certification in elementary psychology & has a brother-in-law that is a Sp

Ed Director!!

Tonya

From: Texas-Autism-Advocacy

[mailto:Texas-Autism-Advocacy ] On Behalf Of Vivian Manganaro

Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 1:17 AM

To: Texas-Autism-Advocacy

Subject: Re: Re: Annual Legal Conference for

Educators - February 28! (Nat'l Educators Law I

Hi:

Thank you for your explanation of the " enemy. " I meant no harm to an

educator with that statement. Parents who participate on these list-servs

know it's TEA bureaucracy and school districts' attorneys who are calling

all the shots; the educators are following directives and are not the enemy.

Our children's education and services are in the hands of the almighty

Attorney, period. I feel that educators who are not involved directly in the

ARD process don't understand all the stress and pain parents go through.

Sincerely, Vivian

Heiligenthal <studentslawyer@...

<mailto:studentslawyer%40sbcglobal.net> > wrote:

Re: Annual Legal Conference for Educators - February 28! (Nat'l

Educators Law Institute)

The sponsors of this workshop are school attorneys that I used to work

with, and while I like them personally, Tonya is correct--their focus

won't be on how to help kids. I'm sure employee liability will be the

primary focus, but it will be from a CYA perspective. Liability in

this area is similar to the law pertaining to firing teachers--it's

much easier to fire someone for not turning in lesson plans in

compliance with written policy than for woeful incompetence. Which is

why it can be very difficult to get the latter out of the classroom

and some schools just don't even try.

I, too, recommend the slaw workshops--which are coming to the

Houston and metroplex areas this spring. Tonya's promised me she's

" scouting " the legal panel at the special ed director's convention

week after next, and I've decided to forego the $400+ UT Law School

legal seminar that doesn't include much on special education and whose

speakers in that area this year hold limited interest for me and

accepting the Walsh, firm's invitation to their spring

special ed law seminar for only $150. I'll try to report back here

the information that this listserve might find relevant. The topics

are grouped in issues by disability--learning disabled, et cetera.

And, to the educator who felt they were being identified as the

enemy--no, educators are not the enemy of parents. But there are

school attorneys who make a pattern and practice of demonizing parents

in representing school districts. I could, but won't, name at least a

handful that I've observed first hand. I represent students with a

fill range of disabilities, some of which have genetic components. So

it is always curious to me when a school attorney can't wait to tell

me how " crazy " my client is when they are the natural parent of a

child with emotional disabilities. I represent people I hope I can

help, and one of the only times I've initiated parting company with a

parent was a parent who deliberately failed to show up at an ARD she

hired me to attend (from a couple of hundred miles away), and didn't

even tell me until I was almost at the school. I can't represent

clients who deliberately deceive me, but I'll work with parents with

their own disabilities as much as I can.

The " enemy " are attorneys who attempt to use the law to keep children

from the services they need and are entitled to. And I can also list

you a handful that I can depend on to work with me within the law to

ensure the child gets what they need. In the long run, that benefits

not only the child, but also the educators working with the child, and

the school, which should have better standardized test scores from

that child on which to be judged.

So--when educators detect some hostility on this site, please

understand that the most frequent obstacle to getting autistic

children what they need is often a specific educator (often the

special education director) or a school attorney--so assuming you're

here to learn more about the needs of autistic children, you're

probably not in that group and shouldn't take it personally.