Special Education - Legal Aid Justice Center

Federal and state law guarantee children with disabilities the right to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Advocates in our Youth Justice Program work with families to ensure that all children receive the services and accommodations they need in school. We also seek to end policies and practices that perpetuate systemic racial inequities in Virginia’s special education system.

Questions about special education during the COVID-19 pandemic? Visit our Special Education & Covid page here!

Do you need help with a special education issue? Is your child having trouble learning in school? We might be able to help. If you need help with a special education matter, please call the office nearest you for advice. LAJC provides free civil legal assistance to income-eligible persons in our service areas.

You can also see our resources for families with students with disabilities below.

Resources

Helping You Help Your Child is our comprehensive guide for parents and guardians in navigating educational needs. Here you will find information on how to prepare for special education meetings, how to request that your child receive services, how to advocate for your child in school discipline hearings, how to resolve disputes with the school, and more.

Many parents are unsure of what to do if they disagree with their child’s IEP (Individualized Education Program) team about services, accommodations, or placement. The resources below focus on the options available to parents in Virginia to resolve these disputes:

Special Education Pro Bono Project

In order to expand our capacity to provide individual legal assistance to income-eligible families in special education matters, LAJC operates a special education pro bono project. We train and partner with local attorneys to provide legal representation in the following special education areas:

- - Eligibility/Child Find
  - Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings
  - Independent Educational Evaluations (IEE)
  - State special education complaints
  - Mediation
  - Due process hearings

If you are a potential client in need of special education advice or legal representation, please contact either our Richmond or Charlottesville office
(whichever is closest to you)

If you are an attorney interested in joining our Special Education Pro Bono Project, please email Fallon Speaker, Legal Director, at fallon@justice4all.org