Law Offices of Bonnie Spiro Schinagle

06/11/2022

Parents, it’s crucial to understand what evaluations are and what they measure. If your child qualifies for an individualized educational program (iep), your public school district must reevaluate for ALL suspected disabilities at least every 3 years.

03/17/2022

Here are the general rules for getting private school tuition reimbursement 1) The District MUST offer Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) to children protected under the IDEA Appropriate means reasonably calculated to allow the child to make meaningfu...

02/21/2022

The IDEA requires that public school districts develop IEPs by the start of the school year. For extended school year students, that means the IEP has to be in place by July and for 10-month students, the IEP has to be in place by September. Most parents will have their IEP meetings in the early spr...

02/21/2022

IEP development time is approaching. Here are some tips:

Keep your child's records in one place - a file, an envelope, a drawer. Something.

If English is not your first language, ASK FOR AN INTERPRETER and for the documents in your native language.

Ask questions about what is being offered

If you don't feel your child has been making meaningful progress, start investigating alternatives on your own, including private ones

When you're at the meeting, channel your inner lawyer - take notes, ask questions, maintain calm

01/27/2021

This class action proposes declaratory and injunctive relief ordering the NYC DOE to reform its District 75 programs on Staten Island. It describes a situation where D75 students are educated in trailers or segregated buildings without the same opportunities to participate in activities that are available at general education schools. In other words, the children are warehoused. The complaint demands that the DOE be ordered to develop a "remedial plan" to insure that the children are educated in "the most integrated setting according to their needs." That's great, but students are dumped into D75 students with others who have different kinds of needs. In other words, the D75 classes lack specialization. Just because you're a special education teacher doesn't mean that you've got the skill to work with every kind of disability. I'd go one step further to demand that the DOE develop a broader continuum of placements to respond to a variety of disabilities.

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01/27/2021

http://www.bazelon.org/newsroom/press-releases/

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01/20/2021

We're signed up for the online Fair on Sat, Jan 30! Are you? Learn more about programs and resources for young people with disabilities. Join us!

The INCLUDEnyc Fair is New York City’s largest annual fair for young people with disabilities, where families can connect virtually with summer camps, recreational programs, supports, and services.

10/09/2020

https://www.schinaglelaw.com/post/covid-guidances-from-the-u-s-ed-department-a-summary

Everyone wants to know what their public schools are ‘allowed’ and not allowed to do to accommodate students right now. The U.S. Education Department Office of Civil Rights (OCR) oversees Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which requires equal access to students with disabilities. Th...

06/24/2020

Don’t miss the only African-centered summer program in Philadelphia that boasts a faculty of master Black educators and gifted Black college student-teachers—all devoted to providing young Black and Brown elementary students with an unforgettable, fun-filled leap in learning.

06/08/2020

Serving parents from all walks of life has opened my eyes to insidious discrimination in public education in New York City public and charter schools. Parents call me when they are concerned about how their children are doing in school. They wonder if they're right, because teachers and administrato...

05/15/2020

https://thementalhealthcoalition.org/
Great work, Kenneth Cole! Watch tomorrow on GMA, The View and on CNN Cuomo Prime Time to learn more.

This powerful coalition is called The Mental Health Coalition: its goals are to shine a light on the severity of 
the situation, address the devastating stigma associated with so many living with mental health conditions and build a community that engages various stakeholders and attaches critical...

05/10/2020

Happy mothers day to all the parents out there!