School: Emory University School of Law

TeamChild provides direct representation to children with educational issues. TeamChild is based in Atlanta Legal Aid, so all of our clients have to meet certain income eligibility criteria. Legal Aid only deals with civil cases and not criminal. Usually this involves a child with special education needs that are not being met, and TeamChild represents the child against the school district. Occasionally TeamChild deals with disciplinary actions and tribunals at school, but most of the cases are for special education kids. Special education covers so much more than what is traditionally thought. It includes emotional disorders, mental retardation, asthma, autism, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and more. The children I met this summer had a variety of uses, but none of them were being accommodated correctly and as required by law in the public schools. It is a great job because you meet so many clients with important issues and can make a real huge difference in their lives. Education is essential. However, it is also kind of depressing to think about all the kids who never find their way to TeamChild or similar advocate, who are not being served by their schools but are just languishing in inappropriate classrooms.

This summer I learned that all too often schools implement completely inappropriate individualized education programs (IEPs) with inconsistent goals for the child and objectives. For example, an IEP will say the child has emotional disorder, but his goals will be too work on reading a paragraph three times a week with only two mistakes. It just doesn't make any sense. When my supervising attorney would go to meetings, he was able to demand consistent goals related to the clients unique needs and specific criteria to meet those goals. An IEP should be able to travel from school to school and class to class and provide a plan for teachers. IEP's are also required to be reviewed annually; sometimes a student will have made significant progress on a certain goal but it will be listed continuously each year because the schools haven't updated. I don't know what happens to parents who go to IEP meetings alone, who don't know what to look for and who have schools telling them what is appropriate.

In general our clients were great. All of them were great people, sometimes they miss meetings and don't call, but this was usually early on in the process for intake interviews and never happened for meetings with schools or other proceedings while I was there. Most of them are grateful for a free attorney who can help them get the education they are entitled to. All the kids I met this summer were wonderful.

The cases that touched me the most involve sending children to the alternative school that is partnered with Atlanta Public School District, the Community Education Partners (CEP) school. It is a for profit privately run school for kids with disciplinary or severe academic problems. Ostensibly CEP is to keep children from dropping out; children are sent there instead of being expelled. However, children can also be administratively placed at CEP for absences or being slow learners. Those children do not belong at CEP. It is a dangerous and violent place; there are gangs and violence everyday there. Teachers are unable to educate because class time is devoted to breaking up fights and other disciplinary issues. Disruptive students are required to be separated from non-disruptive students by statute but CEP doesn't have the resources or space to do that. There is a policy that students can be sent there for irregular attendance, which can sweep up kids with medical disorders or emotional disorders who should not be in a combative environment like CEP.