Making School Work
A Private Law Firm – Allison Hertog, Esq., M.A.
Can A Child with Behavior Problems Survive in a Regular Classroom?
Dec 3rd
This issue is really getting to me lately. It seems I have several clients right now who have bright kids who are perfectly capable of doing well in a general education classroom but for their behavior problems. The schools I’m dealing with want to transfer the kids to special education classrooms which are exclusively for kids with “emotional More >
Finally, Some Good News for Gifted and Disabled!
Feb 6th
One of the most challenging and infuriating areas in which I practice is advocating for the gifted and disabled (called “twice exceptional”) these days. I feel particularly passionately about these cases because I fall into the category of twice exceptional (I suffer from multiple learning disabilities) and when I was a student in public school, I was More >
Even If You Could Get a 1:1 Aide, Here’s Why You May Not Want One.
Feb 24th
I hear it less now than I used to, but parents still routinely ask whether I can help their child get a 1:1 aide (meaning a paraprofessional who is ostensibly hired only to support a single child). My first response is that it’s always been very difficult, but due to budget cuts, it’s more difficult More >
Transition to the “Real” World from FL Public Schools (in a bleak economy no less)
Jan 29th
The IEP meetings are crucial for not only diploma planning, but also for transition planning and career preparation. Good transition goals in the IEP (which are critical years prior to high school graduation) can include workplace experiences that help students learn about employment settings and vocational opportunities and specific plans for developing self-determination skills. IDEA More >
Charter Schools Should Serve More Disabled Students
Jan 9th
Increasing the Number of Students with Disabilities Served by Public Charter Schools
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What’s New in Schools? – It’s Called RtI
Sep 9th
Starting now it will be much harder (in fact, I think nearly impossible in Florida)to get your learning disabled (“LD”) child special education services. That said, special ed services historically haven’t helped LD kids very much. So, let’s hope these changes are all for the good. Children with behavior problems may not receive special ed services as easily as before either.
RtI – the details
Sep 7th
RtI is a 3-tiered process of increasingly intensive research- based instruction which is part of federal law (IDEA 2004). At the end of the process (Tier 3), students who are still struggling in reading, math and/or behavior will be eligible for special education services (an “IEP”). The theory of RtI, which is to catch struggling students early and provide high quality research-based instruction, is great.
For schools, use of stimulus money falls short of big hopes | csmonitor.com
Aug 27th
For schools, use of stimulus money falls short of big hopes | csmonitor.com
Now there’s a shocker!
Special Education Vouchers Prevent Mislabeling, Study Says
Aug 21st
Special Education Vouchers Prevent Mislabeling, Study Says EdWeek Article
I write from the Florida special needs voucher trenches – I am both an attorney for parents of disabled public school students and a fierce proponent of the McKay Scholarship. I don’t doubt the results of Greene and Winters’ study which addresses those students with “marginal” disabilities. More >
If RtI Isn’t Working for Your Child: Knowing Your Legal Rights
Aug 12th
Response to Intervention (RtI) is a 3-tiered process of research-based instruction, which is part of federal law (IDEA 2004). Before RtI, in order to get considered for special education services (an “IEP”) the main thing your struggling learner needed was a psycho-educational evaluation (conducted by a private or public school psychologist). The evaluation needed to show More >
Make School Work for Your Disabled Child
Jul 27th
Did you ever wish you had someone to sit on your side of the table? Not just a lawyer. Not just someone with first-hand experience teaching kids with disabilities. But also a passionate advocate for your child’s needs. Well, you’ve finally found one – me, Allison Hertog. I am one of only a handful of More >
Congress Comes to the Rescue of Learning Disabled Students: Now Easier to Get a 504 Plan
Jan 29th
In the past, as many of you know, it has been extremely difficult for a learning disabled student who has performed well in school by compensating for his or her disabilities to obtain a 504 Plan. That was because the law (Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act as interpreted by More >
Accommodations in Grades K-12. How to Navigate the Public System. . .
Dec 2nd
Once the psycho-educational evaluation of your son or daughter is complete (See the Post below entitled “How Do I Know if My Child Needs Accommodations” for more details on this), if a disability is found the next step will be to have a school meeting to determine if that disability significantly impacts his More >
