Law Offices of Thomas E. Kennedy, III, L.C.

Missouri considering new rules for hearing special education due process hearings

heather — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:46:43 +0000

The Missouri House is considering a bill (SB 595) introduced in the Senate that would change the qualifications for hearing officers in special education due process hearings. http://www.senate.mo.gov/12info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=9266

The Rejuvenation of the ADA: Towards True Equality for People with Disabilities

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:30:00 +0000

The Rejuvenation Of The ADA: Towards True Equality For People With Disabilities
April 19, 2012 with Chai Feldblum, Commission of the EEOC, 5-6 pm, William Kniep Courtroom, register at SLU.edu

Edwardsville District 7 to cut expenses by moving students out of private placements

admin — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:16:45 +0000

The Belleville-News Democrat reported recently that District 7 has decided that “students with autism and emotional disabilities will return to District 7 classrooms next year.” This decision appears to disregard individual students’ needs and overrule IEP team decisions. Click here for the full story.

If your child is at risk of being placed in a program that does not provide a free, appropriate, public education, you have the right to contest that decision and keep your child in her current placement pursuant to the stay-put provision of the IDEA. If you have questions about your child’s IEP or academic placement, please call for a free phone consultation.

There will be a meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17, in the Hadley House Board Room facilitated by ISBE team leaders and a parent of a special education student to discuss how the district determines educational placements.

Should I sign my child’s IEP if I disagree with it?

admin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:17:42 +0000

1. If I don’t agree with the IEP team should I refuse to sign the IEP?

Your signature on the IEP does not indicate your agreement with the programming, services, or goals in the IEP. By signing the IEP you are not giving up your right to contest what’s in it. You are only indicating that you were at the meeting. Your refusal to sign could be seen as a denial of consent to any special education services. If you do not agree with what the team has placed in the IEP you can ask that your concerns be recorded in the IEP, either in the section labeled “parental concerns,” as an addendum, or in another relevant area of the IEP. The important thing to remember is to make your concerns known in writing.

Paralyzed Woman Sues Village of Alorton and Former Police Chief Michael Baxton

admin — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 03:54:44 +0000

The Law Offices of Thomas E. Kennedy, III, L.C. filed ADA, Section 504, and Constitutional claims against the City of Alorton and former Police Chief Michael Baxton, Sr. on January 12, 2012. The plaintiff is a woman paralyzed almost entirely from the waist down as a result of spinal cord disorder, who alleges she was falsely arrested and then forced to move up and down stairs without any assistance, including the use of her arm and leg braces. She alleges she was detained for approximately 24 hours in an inaccessible jail cell, without access to water or a bathroom, and left in excruciating pain and deprived of her pain medications. She was released the day after her arrest and no charges were filed. The suit seeks damages under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Alexander v. Michael Baxton, Sr., John Does One through Four, and the Village of Alorton, 3:12-cv-00042.

Click here for coverage by KMOV, Channel 4 http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Paralyzed-woman-suing-Alorton-police–138173409.html