Employee Advocacy and Parental Benefit Program
Special Education Legal Clinic: Second Monday of Each Month
WHO WE ARE:
We are the Education Rights Legal Clinic, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization made up of education attorneys and special education advocates who are dedicated to protecting the rights and futures of students of all ages.
WHAT WE DO:
Our Employee Advocacy and Parental Benefit Program was created for corporations who are interested in helping their parent-employees navigate the educational process and make smart decisions for their neurotypical, abled or disabled children. We provide support for parents of children attending preschool through professional school.
WHY WE DO IT:
We do it because parents need help. In 2020–21, the number of students ages 3–21 who received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was 7.2 million, or 15 percent of all public school students. Among students receiving special education services, the most common category of disability was specific learning disabilities (33 percent). According to statistics from “Disability and American Families,” 2 out of every 7 of the 72.3 million families included in the US Census Bureau Report have at least one member with some form of disability. For working parents of a child with special needs, the challenges of understanding the disability, navigating the process, and advocating for a child can be monumental.
We do it because significant disparties exists in special education and school discipline. Black students have been overrepresented in special education since the U.S. Office of Civil Rights first started to sample school districts in 1968. Disparities in identification are greatest for more subjective disabilities, like specific learning disabilities (SLD), intellectual disabilities (ID), and emotional disturbances (ED).² Black students are twice as likely to be labeled as emotionally disturbed and three times as likely to be identified with an ID, compared to their White peers. Further, one in four Black boys with disabilities are suspended each year, compared to only one in ten White boys with disabilities. Black male students from low-income backgrounds receiving special education services are actually suspended at the highest rates of any subgroup. In short, parents need help and their children need a good advocate.
Our Employee Advocacy and Parental Benefit Program is an opportunity for corporations to support the wellness of their caregiving employees while simultaneously advancing equality in the distribution of educational benefits and services — and in averting uneccesary and inequitable school discipline. S&P Global and AARP found that companies reporting the lowest voluntary turnover rates tended to offer more benefits to family caregivers and parents. Additionally, companies in the survey with more generous family-friendly policies produced stronger returns.
HOW WE HELP CORPORATIONS HELP THEIR EMPLOYEES:
Our corporate partners may select from a range of services and resources available under the Employee Advocacy and Parental Benefit Program, which includes:
(1) “Power to the Parents” Series of Workshops (in person or virtual): include introductory-level content in the area of special education in a series of seven workshops offered by special education attorneys and advocates:
#1 - Learning the Language of Special Education
#2 - Walkthrough Sections of the IEP
#3 - Behavior and Social / Emotional Supports
#4 - Negotiation Tips and IEP Team Building
#5 - Progress Reports, Data Driven Goals and Recovery Services
#6 - Transition (to Adulthood) Planning on the IEP
#7 - Procedural Rights and Dispute Resolution
Power to the Parents workshop descriptions available HERE.
(2) “Ask an Advocate” Program: in which eligible employees may submit questions or schedule an individual guidance session with a special education advocate.
(3) “Ask an Attorney” Program: in which eligible employees may submit questions or schedule an individual guidance session with an education or special education attorney.
(4) IEP Review Session: in which a special education advocate reviews the IEP/ETR of the child of an eligible employee and then attends a subsequent 30-minute personalized analysis with the advocate. The advocate will review the child's IEP (and ETR if necessary) and meet with the employee virtually to discuss a roadmap to the child’s future, including options to amend the IEP or improve the educational services received through the IEP.
(4) Education Attorney Panel Workshop: in which eligible employees attend an in person or virtual workshop and can submit live questions to the panel of education attorneys.
(5) Reduced Rate Legal and/or Advocacy Services: in which eligible employees are able to consult with an education advocate or attorney for no charge. If representation is needed, the eligible employee may be offered reduced rate-representation at 25% off of the professional’s regular hourly rate.
(6) Customized Workshops: in which corporations choose from a variety of education-related workshops, including on disabilities in higher education, school choice (educational options), effective self-advocacy for students with disabilities, understanding ADHD, understanding autism, among others.
Access to Resources:
Articles of Interest for Special Needs Parents
Research Portal for Special Education Parents and Guardians
**Customized combination and plans are available.
COMPLETE THE FORM TO RECEIVE INFO ON EMPLOYEE ADVOCACY AND PARENTAL BENEFITS FOR YOUR CORPORATION