Why Special Ed needs non lawyer Representatives

[Guest guest]

Below are two examples of what parents of special ed students are up against when trying to get services for their children. And why we need signatures on this petition. http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/Nonlawyer This could effect your child or grandchild, a niece, nephew or a friend's child.If you haven't already signed the above petition, please do so.From www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_63389.asp Henry Says County Schools Spent $2,280,000 On One Lawsuitposted March 3, 2005County Commissioner Larry Henry said he is concerned that the Hamilton County Schools has spent $2,280,000 on a single lawsuit that is still ongoing.Commissioner Henry said, "I was informed this lawsuit could have been settled for $150,000, but the county schools is intent on taking it all the way to the Supreme Court to prove a point."He said the case started in October 2001 and involves an autistic student.Commissioner Henry said he understands the student is doing well in the county schools "mainly due to the exceptional efforts of the principal at his school."He said the schools had spent $1,560,000 on the case as of 2003 and has spent $724,000 since then."And the case is still ongoing," he said.Commissioner Henry said the cost figures do not include time spent away from the schools by school personnel at depositions and hearings.He said funding spent on the lawsuit might have been applied to buildings or other school needs. In response, Hamilton County Schools officials said total legal expenses associated with the Deal case through January 2005 are approximately $2,280,000. Officials in the school finance department are preparing a current breakdown of legal expenses by department. San The same Atlanta law firm billed the Ravenswood School District in San , Calif., $2.1 million at a time when the district was going bankrupt, according to the San Mercury News.The newspaper said Ravenswood paid for first-class travel and food for the Atlanta firm.The Mercury News wrote, "Even as the Ravenswood school district tumbled toward bankruptcy, its former leaders allowed an Atlanta law firm to rack up $2.1 million in bills in less than a year, including first-class plane tickets and meals at some of the Bay Area's priciest restaurants."A Mercury News review found that the Weatherly Law Firm, hired last year to defend Ravenswood in a special education lawsuit, charged the district serving the Peninsula's poorest children what amounts to $420 per student -- 5.5 percent of its annual budget. A new school board replaced the firm in December with county counsel charging $30,000 a year." http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/Nonlawyer The petition reads as follows;PETITION IN SUPPORT OF NONLAWYER REPRESENTATION FOR PARENTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION HEARINGS We, the undersigned, support the use of trained nonlawyers as representatives of parents in special education due process hearings. We recognize the lack of affordable and trained attorneys for parents and children in the field of special education, and request that Congress revisit the legislative urgency of permitting nonlawyer practice regardless of State law, as well as the right of nonlawyers to be paid for their work. We point out that school districts and State agencies have both expert witnesses and law firms, paid for by tax dollars, while parents must pay for both when disputing the special services provided to their children. The use of nonlawyer representation would provide a cost-effective option for parents who are otherwise unrepresented, as well as ensure equal protection of the law