Title IX (9), a federal civil rights law to prevent sexual harassment, is now being grappled with in K-12 schools. However, it is being inconsistently applied. Some schools suspend and expel a student and never pursue a Title IX investigation. Others pursue a Title IX investigation and emergency removal. Some
If a California student needs to breastfeed or pump breast milk on a public school campus, the student has a right to a private space, to possess breastfeeding items, to make up work missed while breastfeeding, and to other reasonable accommodations. Right to a Private Room to Breastfeed or Pump
Gaslighting when dealing with student bullying, records and grading occurs far too frequently in schools. Parents and students need to be able to recognize it when it occurs. Gaslighting Regarding Bullying When bullying is occurring, gaslighting by schools can definitely happen, for example: Staff deny student bullying has been ongoing
Have you ever felt gaslighted by a school? You know, the school staff say one thing, but deny it later? Or, they flat lie about something? Unfortunately, this sort of deceptive conduct, to make parents feel like they are the ones who are confused (aka gaslighting), is not uncommon in
By Michelle Ball, California Education Attorney for Students since 1995 Special education can be very intimidating to all types of parents. This scariness can cause parents to be quiet at IEP (Individualized Education Program) meetings, or to just agree with whatever the IEP team proposes. However, parents need to speak
Some of the saddest school stories involve students who are bullying victims. This is bad enough alone, but sometimes the humiliation and constant abuse are not the worst thing that happens to a bullied student. Instead, sometimes schools punish the bullied student when they fight back, to try to stop
I frequently hear about issues involving teacher misconduct, such as a teacher targeting a student, grading them unfairly, and other problems involving teachers. To get the problem solved, parents can: file a written personnel complaint on the teacher with their school and school district. Many Teacher Issues Are Solved Quickly
Okay- everyone knows that fighting at school can get a student in trouble, but what if a teacher is hit during the process? What if it is unintentional? Or, worse, what if it isn’t? School suspension or expulsion can quickly be imposed if school personnel are hit or harmed by
Parents of a public school student on a 504 Plan (essentially an accommodations plan for a qualified disabled student) sometimes find themselves facing a 504 manifestation meeting. This manifestation meeting can be imposed with little notice and usually happens when larger student discipline is looming (e.g. school expulsion). Just what
California is a diverse state, with many different cultures, nationalities and languages. But what if parents do not speak English? How are they to read a report card or understand what is happening in an expulsion hearing? There are many triggers which mandate translations be provided by public schools, including
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