In response to COVID-19, Gov. Jay Inslee ordered the closure of all public and private schools in Washington State through April 24, possibly longer. “During mandatory closure school districts will be prohibited from providing in-person educational, recreational, and other K-12 school programs using their school buildings and facilities.” However, “Districts will not be prevented from … Read more
Eleven national organizations worked together to create this resource excerpted below: Parents and educators may have different opinions about specific terms like dyslexia or more general terms like learning disabilities. Understanding these terms and agreeing on which to use can help prevent confusion and conflict. It can also lead to a shared understanding of a … Read more
Here’s a bulletin issued by OSPI on the new student discipline rules. You can find read more about it on the State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s website: OSPI’s student discipline rules. On July 30, 2018, OSPI adopted new student discipline rules that comprehensively revised Chapter 392-400 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC). Some provisions … Read more
Everyone can agree that schools should be safe, but there are wide differences of opinion on how to accomplish that. While every effort should be made to prevent school shootings and other such tragedies, the same effort must be made to ensure due process protections are utilized to prevent false accusations against students who pose no risk at all.
Thank you to all of our supporters for a fantastic 2018. This year, we added three new attorneys to our team, expanded our practice into employment law and civil rights issues for school employees, and obtained some fantastic results for our clients. We are pleased to announce that Michelle Mentzer has joined our firm as … Read more
Update: On April 30, 2019, Governor Jay Inslee signed “Ducky’s Bill,” which will allow students in Washington to access medical marijuana therapies in the school setting. For more information, see High Times on Ducky’s Bill becoming law. November 2018 I attended the 2018 Pacific Northwest Institute on Special Education and the Law. I always leave that conference … Read more
Let’s be clear – students do not have a constitutional right to wear Halloween costumes at school. Public schools can make students wear uniforms if they so choose, as long as the policies are not intended to squelch free speech, but instead are aimed at “creating an educational environment free from the distractions, dangers and … Read more
When I first arrived in Seattle in 2010, I kept hearing the same refrain about how a 1:1 aide in the general education setting impacted least restrictive environment (LRE) by creating a more restrictive environment for a student. Again & again, IEP team members and school lawyers pushed the idea that a 1:1 aide created … Read more
Did you know that recent revisions to Washington truancy laws require schools to screen students for a disability when they have two or more unexcused absences and there is reason to suspect a disability?