ADVOCACY FOR KIDS

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ADVOCACY FOR KIDS Advocacy for Kids is dedicated to helping Connecticut families secure educational rights for their children with disabilities. Laurie B. Markus, Esq.

is a special education advocate who works with parents and families thought Connecticut in securing educational rights for their children with disabilities. Laurie educates families with varied information and tools they need to play an active role in their quest to have their child’s needs productively met. She successfully assists families maneuver through the special education process while mai

ntaining an atmosphere of team effort with the school system by clear and respectful communication. Laurie’s background as an attorney, and her decision to practice as an advocate in the spirit of collaboration, brings a unique skill set to Advocacy for Kids. In addition to her varied work vigilantly advocating for children with special needs in school districts thought the State, Laurie has completed coursework related to special education advocacy and has also been extensively trained by well regarded clinicians on proven advocacy strategies and effective programming for children with disabilities. Laurie is a member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, the Council of Exceptional Children, Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation, and the Fairfield Special Education Parent Teacher Association. Laurie graduated with a BA, Magna Cum Laude, from Brandeis University, and has a JD from Emory University School of Law. Prior to entering the field of advocacy, Laurie practiced law as a both a criminal and civil litigator, and is a member of the Florida, New York and Connecticut Bar Associations. She resides with her husband, son and daughter in Fairfield, Connecticut. Kristin Berry is a professional Non-Attorney Special Education Advocate who has been assisting Connecticut families in securing appropriate educational services for their children with disabilities since 2007. She combines her advocacy experience with the education she gained from completing Special Education Advocacy Training (SEAT). SEAT was a year-long course funded by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services awarded to the University of Southern California, University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities in partnership with the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA). The training provided for extensive classroom instruction by an attorney and an advocate and a practicum in a special education law firm. Kristin completed her practicum with Andrew Feinstein, Esq. of the Feinstein Education Law Group. She also completed Wrightslaw’s Special Education Law & Advocacy Training. As the parent of a child with disabilities, she also understands the process from a personal perspective. Kristin received her Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from Saint Michaels College in 1993 and lives with her husband, two sons, a daughter and two dogs in Fairfield, CT.

16/04/2020
https://www.copaa.org/news/news.asp?id=494633Please see this very important message from COPAA!
19/03/2020

https://www.copaa.org/news/news.asp?id=494633
Please see this very important message from COPAA!

Right now, in the Hall's of Congress, our children's rights are at grave risk. Raise your voices in oppostion and share with everyone  you know to do the same!

27/02/2020
Empower yourself with information to effectively advocate for your child...Don't Miss Connecticut's Most Informative Spe...
09/09/2019

Empower yourself with information to effectively advocate for your child...

Don't Miss Connecticut's Most Informative Special Education Conference: SEEK-CT's Back-to-School: Special Education Parent Empowerment Conference on Saturday, October 5 at the Omni Hotel in New Haven. You can learn more about this important event or buy tickets here: https://seekct.com/annual-conference. Presentations focus on trending special education issues and must-know advocacy skills to prepare for a successful school year.

Click on the above link to view the agenda, I hope you will join us and sign up today!

We SEEK Change Where We Find Injustice

20/02/2019
Please read and pass on. And act.
19/06/2018

Please read and pass on. And act.

The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) exists to protect the rights of children with disabilities.  The Administration's inhumane and intolerable practice of separating undocumented children from their parents, who know the children best and who speak their familial language, ensures...

04/05/2018

Special education rights are under attack in Connecticut. Now more than ever parents and students need to understand their rights under special education law and the barriers they may face. Join leading Connecticut professionals (lawyers, advocates and evaluators) for a full-day conference on trendi...

11/11/2017

Dr. Joseph Demers and Dr. Cindy Keefe, Southfield Center for Development

Congrats to the Fairfield Little League. # 3 in the USA. So much to be proud of! Thanks Al for giving them a proper wel...
26/08/2017

Congrats to the Fairfield Little League. # 3 in the USA. So much to be proud of! Thanks Al for giving them a proper welcome home!

22/03/2017

In a case involving a Colorado school district, the high court finds that schools must ensure students make more than minimal progress.

28/02/2017

Just a reminder that the next lecture in our Parent Lecture Series will be held this Wednesday, March 1st from 9:30-11am!

Building Positive Sibling Relationships from Birth Onward
Wednesday, March 1, 2017, 9:30-11am

Given by:
Courtney O'Brien-Ernest, Psy.D., Psychologist
Sarah L. Rendell, Ph.D., Psychologist

Have you ever considered the impact siblings have on each other's social and emotional well-being? The ways of managing conflict will be discussed & will consider how a parent's role changes across the developmental stages.

This lecture is free and open to the public. Space is limited.

See flyer for further details:

Amazing!
23/02/2017

Amazing!

Washington, DCToday, the U.S. Supreme Court  ruled unanimously in favor of the student and her family in Fry V. Napoleon Community Schools reversing and remanding the case back to the appellate court. COPAA’s

03/02/2017

When educators were unable to help Susan Davis's 8-year-old autistic son calm down at school, he was put into a four- by six-foot, custom-built box. That and other stories convinced the State Board of Education to order a six-month review of special education delivery in Connecticut.

AFK Advocates Laurie Markus and Kristin Charters Berry spoke in support of a Petition to clarify certain regulations re...
03/02/2017

AFK Advocates Laurie Markus and Kristin Charters Berry spoke in support of a Petition to clarify certain regulations related to IEEs and school observations. What an honor to be part of an amazing group of Advocates, Attorneys and Parents who testified yesterday in Hartford!

Responding to parents petition concerning special needs education plans

Amazing opportunity to hear some helpful information!
31/01/2017

Amazing opportunity to hear some helpful information!

Immigrant families, especially children, were already a traumatized population before the election…how can we come together as a community to support, protect and defend our neighbors.

28/01/2017

It's our 9th summer!!!
Our 2017 camp website for Harbor Light Summer Adventures is updated! Registration begins February 1st!
Employment and CIT applications will be available March 1, 2016!

27/01/2017

A group of special education attorneys and advocates in CT filed a Petition for Regulation with the State Board of Education on November 30, seeking to prevent school districts from blocking Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs) through improper restrictions and guaranteeing parents and their experts the right to observe at school. This Petition is on the agenda for action by the State Board on Wednesday, February 1 at 9:30 am at 450 Columbus Boulevard, Hartford.

The filing of this petition has not been well received by the Department of Education. And, local Board of Education and their lawyers have been gearing up to fight us.

To get the State Board to at least get the Department to work on the issue, we need a huge outpouring of parents, advocates and attorneys on Wednesday. The meeting opens with a period for public comment. We know the other side will be well represented.

The argument to make is fairly simple. Parents have no way of knowing whether their child is in an appropriate program unless they have the right to observe and have their experts observe. If they have questions about the appropriateness of the program, they cannot win change without an expert. Federal regulations provide for an Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense. Connecticut school districts have led the nation in finding ways to frustrate that right, which is one of only two real rights parents have. And, for any expert to have credibility, whether it is an IEE or a privately paid expert, that expert needs the right to do a proper observation. For most parents, the cost of a private expert is prohibitive. Unless they can have an IEE, their child is effectively denied the opportunity for a free appropriate public education.

We need to be assertive on this issue and we need as many people as possible to attend and speak. You can also reach out to the members of the State Board of Education. Their names are at: http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2683&q=322228

State Board of Education Home Abstract: Five-year Comprehensive Plan for Education [pdf] 2017 Meeting Dates [pdf] Agendas for Upcoming Meetings Agendas and Board Materials of Prior Board and Committee Meetings Minutes of Prior Board and Committee Meetings State Board of Education Position Statements...

The Fairfield Police will be doing Car Seat Safety checks this Saturday! Stop by to make sure your car seats are set up...
25/01/2017

The Fairfield Police will be doing Car Seat Safety checks this Saturday! Stop by to make sure your car seats are set up safely.

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The Fairfield Police Department Traffic Unit will conduct its next child seat clinic on Saturday, Jan. 28, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.The clinic will take place at police headquarters at 100 Reef Road in Fairfield. Parents ...

23/01/2017
23/01/2017
Many of us are scared about the future of special education. Not only are we likely to see funding cuts in the new Admin...
22/01/2017

Many of us are scared about the future of special education. Not only are we likely to see funding cuts in the new Administration, we worry that the new Congress will eliminate the right of parents to bring a due process action to ensure a free appropriate public education for their children. In the past, Congressman George Miller and Senator Tom Harkin were our champions, fighting to protect the rights of children with disabilities. Both have now retired.
Emerging in the last few years as our new champion has been Connecticut's own Senator Chris Murphy. Last year, he led the fight for us when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was up for reauthorization. In turn, we need to support him.
To that end, a fund-raising reception to support his reelection has been organized by my colleagues for Thursday evening, February 23 in Trumbull. Please let us know if you would like to attend, we will be there!

22/01/2017

An extraordinary exchange at her confirmation hearing as education secretary.

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