Contact

Coriann Gastol, Esq.

Bloomfield Hills Office: 248.487.1645

Email: coriann@education-rights.com

Schedule a Consult: Click HERE

CORIANN GASTOL, ESQ.

Coriann practices statewide in Michigan and focuses her practice on students and educator rights. Beyond education law, Coriann has experience in civil and business litigation, estate planning, and probate, with experience in employment law, criminal defense, immigration, and family law. Coriann's court experience spans work in the state administrative, state court, and federal court levels, working in all aspects of disputes from preliminary negotiations to state court appeals and to the federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Coriann was born and raised in Michigan and earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Multicultural Studies from Evangel University in Missouri and a Juris Doctorate from Valparaiso University in Indiana. She and her husband are raising their 5 children in Michigan and have developed a natural interest in and knowledge of the structure and procedures of private and public schools and the challenges faced by both students and educators. Coriann joined AW in order to bring stronger student and educator advocacy to metro Detroit and the state of Michigan.

Outside of the practice of law, Coriann enjoys training for and competing in triathlons with her husband, and they spend a large amount of their time spectating their children's extracurricular and sporting activities, ranging from football to golf to gymnastics. They also enjoy road trips with the family crew.

Education

B.A. International Multicultural Studies, Evangel University, Missouri; Juris Doctorate, Valparaiso University in Indiana

Bar Admissions

2011 Michigan; 2010 Indiana; U.S. District Court; Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals

Practice Areas

School Law, Student Rights, Educator Rights, Educator Licensure, Criminal and Juvenile Defense, Civil Litigation, Estate Planning

Affiliations

Member, Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)

Certified in Youth Mental Health First Aid (National Council for Mental Wellbeing)

Presentations + Trainings

Co-Presenter, Walkthrough Sections of the IEP, AW Student Rights Conference, July 2024

Co-Presenter, Procedural Rights & Dispute Resolution, AW Student Rights Conference, July 2024

Co-Presenter, The Shifting Landscape in Parent-Protected Speech, AW Student Rights Conference, July 2024

Co-Presenter, Effective Strategies for Reporting and Addressing Bullying & Harassment, AW Student Rights Conference, July 2024

Recent Representative Cases*

Student Representation:

  • Secured appropriate IEP services and more appropriate least restrictive classroom placement for special needs student needing behavioral supports that the school initially refused to implement.

  • Successfully reached a resolution through mediation on transition services for a special education high school student who had not been receiving adequate services and training as provided in the special education plan.

  • Avoided expulsion recommended by the district and secured reevaluation for special education and enhanced accommodations.

  • Obtained a determination that a student's behavior was a manifestation of his disability after a contentious hearing and building an understanding of the particular rare disability among school personnel.

  • Secured a mediation agreement ensuring appropriate accommodation implementation by school staff.

  • Assisted frustrated parents in following the school's bullying complaint process to develop a safety plan for a bullied student whose efforts at reporting were met with no response or disbelief. The efforts built connections between the student and certain staff members so that the student feels comfortable raising concerns.

  • Resolved state line residency dispute between family and school and secured enrollment for elementary students.

  • Avoided an expulsion for a student with ADHD where the conduct in question was impulsive and likley a manifestation of the student’s disability; allowed the student to return to school with school-provided counseling support.

  • Reduced an expulsion to a long term suspension with supports for student's re-entry to school for a misunderstanding that precipitated a code of conduct violation.

  • Obtained tuition refund from private elementary school for failure to provide contracted special needs accommodations.

  • Avoided recommended expulsion for a student with a 504 plan and secured implementation of 504 plan accommodations.

  • Resolved a due process complaint, without going through a hearing, with agreement by the school and family to adjust graduation requirements.

  • Prevailed in a due process hearing to overturn a district's manifestation of disability determination and overturned the expulsion based on the faulty decision.

  • Obtained disciplinary record amendment and partial refund from a private school for improper discipline and curriculum misrepresentations.

Estate Planning (Michigan):

  • Completed a customized Revocable Living Trust estate plan for a family with adult children and assisted with trust funding.

  • Completed a customized Revocable Living Trust estate plan for a single person with adult children and assisted with trust funding and distribution planning.

  • Completed trust-funding for a family with an out-of-state residence and property in Michigan.

*The results shown are not necessarily indicative of the results that could be expected in any other matter, as the circumstances of each case are unique and involve multiple factors to consider along with possible outcomes.