Tuesday, November 12, 2019

The Story Behind EmpowerEd by Jennifer Oneal Price @jennoprice #guest

The Story Behind EmpowerEd

By Jennifer Oneal Price

EmpowerEd: Using Real Case Examples to Look Deeper into IEP Management is a
resource book for parents who are tired of fighting with the school district to get an
appropriate education for their child. As an attorney in private practice, I spend part of
each day answering telephone calls and questions from parents who are frustrated over
what their school is or is not doing for their child’s education. I have a disability rights
practice, which includes a niche in special education law. My journey into this area of
law, and ultimately the book, began as a prosecutor in the juvenile division.

A typical day in the family courthouse consisted of hallways filled with parents and
children, all waiting anxiously to have their cases heard. Family dynamics can play a
significant role in why a juvenile is actually in the juvenile court system. Another factor
that some people don’t realize can be whether a person has a disability. Disabilities can
play a factor in the juvenile court process because if a child has a behavioral disability,
like ADHD, or a neurological/development disability like autism, certain things
throughout the day may trigger conduct from them the teachers feel they can’t handle.
Since many schools have juvenile probation officers and/or police officers within the
school, it can become that much easier for a teacher to involve law enforcement in the
situation, as opposed to trying to diffuse it, alone.

I left a District Attorney’s Office after seeing worst-case scenarios in juvenile court: when
learning accommodations were not made, or plans were not implemented for children
with disabilities. I realized that while these were similar stories told from different
situations, the common thread in all of them was either IEP or 504 Service Agreement
management. After I decided to go into private practice to focus on representing children
with disabilities, I quickly learned there was a lack of information by many parents and
educational advocates. At the same time, there was a constant desire for information and
specifically, legal updates. That is why I decided to write this book. It is meant to be a
guide and a starting point to understanding how to be a more effective advocate for your
child’s educational rights. When I would speak at parent groups, providing legal updates,
the parents were grateful but still weren’t sure exactly how to use the information for
their situation. This book was designed to require parents to think more critically and
analytically about their situation, as well as understand how the school district is
thinking. In understanding things from the school district’s perspective, parents can better
strategize how to best advocate to get better results.

The book uses real court case examples to show the practical side of how courts have
ruled on familiar issues. In the end, the goal is to set parents up for their child’s
educational success. Some of the points the book addresses are: Child Find; Setting up
the IEP for success; and Bullying.

Jennifer Price is a special education attorney in the Pittsburgh metro area who has received awards for her legal skills and advocacy. As a former prosecutor, Attorney Price is very familiar with the courts and believes in making sure every child has an opportunity to succeed both in school and in life. Her boutique law firm provides services protecting and defending against abuses of the criminal justice system, as well as the educational systems. With 10 years of experience, Attorney Price’s advocacy has resulted in successes, including getting criminal charges withdrawn, preventing children from getting expelled out of school and federal civil rights lawsuits. Aa a speaker, she has presented at seminars and workshops and has also made regular television appearances for her legal opinions.

★WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS: ★

Website → www.jenniferpricelaw.com

Twitter → twitter.com/jennoprice

Title: EMPOWERED: USING REAL CASE EXAMPLES TO LOOK DEEPER INTO IEP MANAGEMENT
Author: Jennifer Oneal Price
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 107
Genre: Nonfiction

BOOK BLURB:

This book outlines the progressive steps taken to address the educational needs of an exceptional child. From the Child Find process to filing a Due Process complaint, courts have addressed many legal issues. This book goes through court cases on some key issues from 2018 with an included workbook-style composition section after the cases. Parents and educational advocates will be able to read the cases and use the Thought Questions and composition space to take notes to better analyze their own case and advocate for their child’s educational rights.