Listed here are three Special Education Law firms, that have websites with lots of helpful information for parents about advocating for your child.

Wrightlaws website Special Ed Advocate and Special Education Law

Lots of great information's on Special Education cases and has lots of useful information (this is one of our favorite sites).

The following are a list of articles some members have found useful:

• • EMERGENCY CRISIS HELP The Parent's First Crisis Call to the Attorney!
  • Understanding Tests and Measurements
  • Tactics and Strategy Session with Pete Wright: IEP Goals and Objectives

Special Education and the Law article by Robert K. Crabtree
Mr. Crabtree is a partner at Kotin, Crabtree, and Strong, LLP, a general practice law firm in Boston, Massachusetts.  Among other areas of practice, Mr. Crabtree concentrates in special education and disability law. Mr. Crabtree and his partner, Lawrence Kotin, were principal draftsmen of "Chapter 766," the Massachusetts special education statute that was a progenitor of the federal special education law now known as the IDEA.

Here is a list of some articles written by Bob Crabtree:

• • Mistakes People Make
  • The Rules of Thumb for Parents
  • What You Should Know about Evaluations
  • The Paper Chase: Managing Documents Under IDEA, Part One
  • IEP Due Process Hearings: Powerful But Costly
  • After-school Programs & Accommodations
  • When IEP Services are NOT Delivered
  • Developmental Disabilities & High School Graduation
  • Due Process Hearings
  • Suspensions, Expulsions, and IEP's

Other special education articles:

• • Developing Goals and Objectives Instructor's Notes
  • Sole Source Placement

The Reed Martin Special Education website, is defunct as of June 6, 2007.  Reed Martin was an attorney who concentrated on special education right for over 34 years.  His law practice was in the state of Texas for 22 years, then he moved to West Virginia.  Reed Martin and his wife Connie Matthews, Media, LLC create manuals and the website that focused on Special Education Legal Rights Strategies and Resources.  After his wife Connie Matthews pasted away in 2007, the website was eliminated.

We found some of his articles posted on another websites and found three of our favorites and converted them into PDF's (thanks to Dr. S. Lowe) and found this first article (20 Steps To Getting a Good IEP) on another website:

• 20 Steps To Getting a Good IEP 

• Your Child's IEP Goals Should Be To Succeed In Regular Education

• The End Of Another School Year - Take A Minute To Celebrate Your Successes

• Is Your Child Receiving The Related Services They Need To Succeed?

• Progress Reports: Are required by federal law, (IDEA), states regulations can add, not take away.
  As with these other states Progress Reports are required to be sent to parents at least as often as parents are informed of their nondisabled children’s progress.
  Our MA IEP form (PR) as of 2006, there is only one required question on Progress Report: "Each progress report must describe the student’s progress toward meeting each annual goal." there used to be two required questions.
  • Reporting Progress to Parents Requirements, New York State Education Department 
  • Progress Reporting - Where compliance standards meet classroom reality, N Rosman, MN.
  • Compliance Checkpoint Progress Reporting, Concord, Calif.
  
  
  • Did You See Your Regular Ed Teacher at Your IEP Meeting? (Regular Education teacher is required by federal law, IDEA 97 and IDEA 04.)
  •  ADHD and Special Education FAQ
     
  • Is Your Child Being Sent Out of the Classroom Without Your Knowledge (This article refers to the federal law, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) )
  • Could Using An Advocate Help You Get What Your Child Needs In School?
  •  Section 504 - Primer for Parents & Educators of Children with Food Allergy and Asthma
     

• The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) website, An independent, nonprofit, tax-exempt organization of attorneys, advocates and parents established to improve the quality and quantity of legal assistance for parents of children with disabilities.  There are articles and a email discussion list you can join.
   

•  Exceptional Lives has published four how-to Guides. These free online Guides are for parents and guardians of children with disabilities.  Each Guide leads parents step-by-step through complex processes such as how to:
  Optimize health insurance, Navigate special education. Access SSI, Understand guardianship. * All content is sourced from experts in each field, and approved by a special needs attorney.

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	One of our original Concord SPED PAC webpages, created September 19, 2001, by Melody Orfei Webpage last modified on December 15, 2016 - V7, by Melody Orfei
mel3sons@gmail.com