Medford Special Education Parent Advisory Council presents:
Agreeing to Disagree: How to Effectively Resolve Special Education Disputes with Your School District
When: Join us Wednesday, January 13th at 7 PM
Where: Andrews Middle School (3000 Mystic Valley Pkwy, off of Riverside Avenue)
Details:
It has been observed that the relationship between families of students with special needs and school districts is akin to being married in a church that does not recognize divorce. This is true whether or not you are seeking better programming within the district or the funding of an outside placement. This workshop will address how to have a “successful” relationship with a school district, detailing not only the key components of special education law, but how to build a strong case for appropriate educational services, when it’s best to be aggressive or conciliatory, and pursuing the best avenues for resolving disputes.
Presenter: Daniel J. Heffernan
Daniel T.S. Heffernan is a partner with Kotin, Crabtree & Strong and concentrates his practice on representing families of children with special needs in special education and civil rights matters. From 1995 to the present he has served on the board of directors of the Federation for Children with Special Needs and was board president from 1995 to 2007. In 2014 he received the 2014 President’s Award from the Federation for Children with Special Needs. In 2002, he and his wife, Julie, received the Dr. Allen C. Crocker Award for Excellence from the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress. He writes and lectures frequently on special education law and advocacy. Mr. Heffernan has been named a Super Lawyer in special education law every year since 2005 and was named as a Top Rated Lawyer in Education by The Boston Globe in 2012. From 1995 to 2000, he served as the president of the board of directors of Community Legal Services and Counseling Center. He also serves on the MDSC Education Task Force. He has two daughters, Maggie and Evie, and a twenty-four year old son, Brian, who has Down syndrome.