“I came in with a binder I couldn’t make sense of. By the end of the hour I had three things to ask for at the meeting, and I got two.”
Hamid R.Parent of a fourth grader
Education law for parents
Your child’s school made a decision. You still have a say.
I’m Alvina Eastmond, an education lawyer in Alexandria, Virginia. I help parents with IEPs, 504 plans and school discipline, and with the move from one school to the next. Bring the letter, and we’ll read it together.
What parents ask first
Whatever the notice says, these are the questions underneath it
The first call usually starts with one of these four worries. Here is the short answer to each, and where to read more.
What happens to my child’s services if we move?
A new district has to offer help close to what the old plan gave, while it decides what to do next. Bring the plan and the date you’re moving.
Moving with an IEPWhat happens to my child’s school year during a suspension?
Work, grades and attendance can slip fast. Ask for the work in writing, and for the hearing date, the first day you hear about it.
Suspension noticesWhat happens to my child’s record after a hearing?
Discipline can follow a student to a new school or an application. You can usually read the file, and add your own statement to it.
The discipline recordWhat happens to my child’s help if the school says no?
A refusal on paper is where the real options begin: ask again in writing, request outside testing, or take the disagreement further.
When the answer is no
How I work
I read every page before we talk.
Most parents arrive with a folder, a bag or a phone full of screenshots. I go through all of it first, so the call is about your child and not about finding the right email.
Then I tell you what the papers say, what the school has to do, and what I would ask for. Some problems need one firm letter. Some need a hearing. I’ll say which one I think you have.
A first call to hear what happened, in your words
A short written list of what to ask for
An honest view on when to settle and when to push
What I take
The three places a school and a family most often disagree
Education law is wide. These are the three kinds of problems that fill my calendar, and the three I know best.
IEPs and special education
Evaluations, eligibility, services that never started, a change of placement, and moving a plan from one district to another.
IEP disputes
Suspension and discipline
Notices, expulsion hearings, what the school may and may not do, and what stays in your child’s record.
School discipline
504 plans
Accommodations for a child with a disability who doesn’t need an IEP, and keeping them in place from school to school.
504 plans
Notes from parents, after things settled
“We moved in August and the new school had never seen my son’s plan. One clear email, and his services picked up where they had left off.”
Ephraim T.Parent of a second grader
“After the suspension notice I couldn’t think straight. She told me what to expect at the hearing and what to ask for afterwards, and she answered my calls.”
Oluwaseun A.Parent of a high schooler
These are sample reviews written for this template, and every family’s situation is different. A past experience does not predict the outcome of your child’s matter.
Before you call
Things parents want to know first
Do I need a lawyer to go to an IEP meeting?
No. Parents go to these meetings every day without one. A lawyer helps most when the school has said no to something important, when you’ve been to several meetings without progress, or when the stakes are high, like a change of placement or a long suspension.
What should I bring to the first call?
Whatever the school sent you: letters, emails, the current plan, recent report cards and any evaluation. A short timeline in your own words helps more than you’d expect.
How much does it cost?
Most work is billed by the hour. I put an estimate in writing before I begin, and I tell you if the work will take more than we planned. The first call is for hearing what’s happening and telling you honestly whether I can help.
Will the school treat us differently if we hire you?
Most schools have worked with a parent’s lawyer before. I start with a conversation or a letter, not a threat, and most disagreements are settled at the table instead of in a hearing.
We’re moving. Does my child’s plan go with us?
A plan is meant to carry across districts. The new school must offer services comparable to the old plan until it adopts it or writes a new one. How that works depends on whether you’re moving within a state or out of it.
Tell me what the school said.
Write a few lines about what happened, or call the office. I’ll read what you send and tell you what I think comes next.