If your special needs child attends public school in the Wyoming or Lackawanna Valley regions of Pennsylvania, in or around the cities of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, you are probably quite familiar with how special education works in their school. Parents of younger children who may have special needs but have not yet been evaluated, on the other hand, may not appreciate all of the obligations that public schools have to identify and address special needs students.
When you have questions about what your child’s rights are when it comes to special needs education, or run into problems or roadblocks when interacting with teachers or school administrators on special education matters, the LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team can help. Our experienced attorneys understand what Pennsylvania public schools are required to do for their special needs pupils. We are ready to explain what your child’s school should be doing, and how we can help change things if your school is not living up to its obligations. Call the LLF National Law Firm today at 888.535.3686, or fill out our contact form, and we will schedule a confidential consultation so that you can tell us about your child’s case – and we can advise you about what we can do to help.
Special Education in and Around Scranton and Wilkes-Barre
As is the case for special needs children across Pennsylvania, those attending school in the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre area have the right to receive what is called a free and appropriate public education, generally in the least restrictive environment possible. That means that school districts across the region must provide students who have been evaluated and found to have special educational or developmental needs with an education that addresses those needs. And, to the extent possible, that education should take place together with the school’s other students.
The Scranton School District’s Special Education Department, for example, states that its “supports and services” include “a full continuum of services” that comply with both Pennsylvania and federal law. Special needs students can receive, in addition to special educational services, help with transportation, occupational therapy, physical therapy, mobility services, and psychological services. The webpage goes on to provide links to a number of related resources, including the district’s Special Education Plan.
The special education webpage for the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, on the other hand, is not nearly as detailed as Scranton’s, but still offers links to a number of guides and information sheets that parents of special needs children – or children whose parents believe should be evaluated for special needs services – can use to help answer their questions.
The webpages for the special education programs offered by the Wyoming Valley West School District, Riverside School District, and Crestwood School District are similarly sparse, and it may require some digging to find answers to questions you may have about your special needs student’s education if your student attends school in any of those districts.
That said, if you can’t find the answer to your questions on your local school district’s website, the first place to ask is generally at your child’s public school. There should be one or more teachers or administrators who have responsibility for special education and who may be the best person at your child’s school to answer your question.
But when you’re not getting the answers you need or are running into roadblocks when it comes to your child’s special educational needs, the LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team can help. We know what your child’s school is required to provide them when it comes to special educational services, and we can help get your questions answered and get your child the education they are entitled to under the law.
Your Child’s Rights as a Special Needs Student
Just because the website for your child’s school district or school may provide information about the special education services they say they provide, it doesn’t mean their school will always live up to those obligations. School special ed programs are run by people, and people make mistakes.
For example, you may run into problems getting your child evaluated to determine if they have special needs that entitle them to special education benefits. Or, if they are entitled to special education benefits, including an Individualized Education Program, or IEP, you may strongly disagree with the IEP that is developed for your child – even though you are supposed to be part of your child’s IEP team. Then there is the situation where you believe your child has an effective IEP, but one of their teachers fails to follow the program when it comes to educating your child in their class.
In other cases, your special needs student may not be properly integrated with the rest of the school population when they are being taught. Schools are required to try to integrate special needs students and educate them along with other students instead of segregating special needs students and teaching them separately. These are just some of the issues you may encounter as the parent of a special needs child.
Conflicts in the Special Education Process
Normally, the best and quickest way to resolve conflicts with how your special needs child is being educated is to discuss them with the teacher or administrator involved. But that doesn’t always work. Then it can be a challenge to make sure you are presenting the issue to the school or district in a way that can quickly lead to a solution. Because remember – the clock is ticking when it comes to your child’s education, and the sooner an issue is resolved, the more likely it is that your child will receive the greatest benefit from their schooling.
That is why it can be so helpful to have an experienced attorney from the LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team by your side when problems arise. We know what schools are required to do for your special needs student. We know how to talk to school administrators and explain their obligations to them in ways that they will understand and appreciate. And we know that they know that if things are not resolved the way they should be, we can take the issue to court to let a judge decide it.
The LLF National Law Firm Can Help
Even though we are very capable and willing to take matters to court when schools won’t do what they are supposed to for our special needs clients, our goal is to resolve special education issues as quickly as possible. That is because, at the end of the day, what’s important is that your child receives the education they are entitled to under the law. And the more quickly that can start happening, the better it is for your child.
If you have questions about your rights as the parent of a special needs child, or believe that your child’s school is not properly addressing their educational or developmental needs, call the LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team at 888.535.3686 or use our contact form to schedule a confidential consultation with one of our attorneys. At the LLF National Law Firm, our attorneys understand the laws, regulations, rules, and procedures that apply in public schools all across Pennsylvania, including across the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys. We are ready to use our experience and knowledge to help your child receive the education they deserve.