IEP help for parents at first-ever Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Conference to Dec. 5 in Reno
RENO, Nev. – How far will a parent go to save a child from being chronically undereducated? Ask any of the parents of the students of Newton Learning Center, a school for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder or other similar learning differences, and you’re likely to find they’ll work pretty hard to ensure their child can receive the best possible educational outcomes available.
Maura Truitt and her husband Jim moved their family from Alaska to Reno so their son could catch up to grade level and then attend and graduate from a local charter school.
Linda and Jim McMahon moved their family from Folsom, Calif., when their son started falling behind in the fourth grade and he was so afraid of being bullied or left out at recess, he began wearing a heavy, hooded coat to school every day so he could “disappear.”
Janis Lammers visited the Newton Learning Center campus in San Jose, Calif., and rallied enough support from the Asperger’s Support Group of Northern Nevada (ASGONN) and Reno families to convince Second Start Learning Disabilities Programs, Newton’s parent company, to open a school in Reno. She enrolled both of her children at Newton Learning Center, first when her son became ill due to the stress he suffered in a mainstream classroom setting, and again when her daughter, who spent most of her time in a resource room, became angry and withdrawn and began suffering panic attacks.
Through individualized education planning, small class sizes, and life strategies curriculum, children who attend Newton Learning Center often catch up to the appropriate grade level and can be transferred back into mainstream educational programs. Others will graduate from Newton Learning Center, and still, others will go on to hold down jobs and learn to live on their own, like Bethany Valentine’s son.
Now, to empower families toward success in the IEP, or Individual Education Plan, process, Newton Learning Center is sponsoring the first-ever Nevada Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Conference at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno on Thursday, Dec. 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This Wrightslaw conference will focus on four areas: special education law, rights and responsibilities, tests and measurements to measure progress and regression, SMART IEPs (Individual Education Plans), and an introduction to tactics and strategies for effective advocacy.
All conference registrants will receive copies of three books authored by Wright, including Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy, and Wrightslaw: All About IEPs.
Pete Wright, Esq., founder of Wrightslaw, argued the case, Florence County v. Shannon Carter, in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on October 6, 1993, on behalf of Shannon Carter. Carter, a student with dyslexia and ADHD, requested placement in a private school to receive more intensive programming to bring her up to grade level. Her request was denied by the Florence County, South Carolina, school district. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Carter, and Wright launched Wrightslaw soon after.
Wrightslaw empowers parents to take charge of their children’s education, to familiarize themselves with their legal rights, and how to implement techniques for communication with teachers, administrators, and their IEP team.
Larry Dailey, a board member of Second Start Learning Disabilities Programs, which is the parent company for Newton Learning Center, sought out a Wrightslaw conference after struggling to find common ground with his daughter’s IEP team.
Dailey said he feared her education would suffer, especially without significant intervention.
“The IEP meetings were at times unproductive and often delayed,” he said. “Wrightslaw gave me the tools I needed to be the very best advocate I could be for my daughter.”
Six CLEs, or continuing legal education credits, approved through Nevada’s Board of Continuing Legal Education, are available for an additional fee.
Early Bird Registration of $65 ends Nov. 15. Early bird registrants will also receive two free downloads and a personal message from Pete Wright. The regular conference fee of $75 begins Nov. 16. To register, visit http://www.secondstart.org/wrightslaw-registration/or for more information, contact Rebecca “RJ” Larrieu, director of Newton Learning Center, at RebeccaJ@secondstart.org.
Event sponsors include Nevada Education Advocacy Center for Children & Youth (NEACCY) and American Solutions for Business, and sponsorship opportunities are available through Nov. 8, 2019. For more information, visit www.secondstart.org/wrightslaw-sponsors.
Details:
What: Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Conference with Pete Wright, Esq.
When: Thursday, December 5, 2019, from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Where: Atlantis Casino & Resort Reno, NV
Cost: $65 regular ticket or $90 with CLE credits, before Nov. 15, $75 regular ticket or $100 with CLE credits, starting Nov. 16
Register: http://www.secondstart.org/wrightslaw-registration/
About Newton Learning Center: Newton Learning Center is a private school in northwest Reno, founded in 2008, providing an individualized approach for students with social-cognitive disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder. The school is one of four schools operated by Second Start Learning Disability Programs Inc. and the only one in Nevada. Newton Learning Center San Jose, Pine Hill School San Jose and Pine Hill School Marina are in California.
Media Contacts:
Newton Learning Center | Northern Nevada
Rebecca “RJ” Larrieu, School Director
(775) 358-0808
rebeccaj@secondstart.org
Agency:
In Plain Sight Marketing, LLC
Trinda Levine, PR Copywriter
(775) 340-1184
trinda@inplainsightllc.com
