Even within the context of the potential legal pitfalls faced by public school districts in Pennsylvania, the regulatory requirements associated with meeting the needs of special education students comprise a daunting challenge. To a greater degree than in many other areas of education law, schools and school districts can be exposed to substantial liability if their faculty and staff are not well-versed in the rules that apply to their respective duties.

School administrators can turn to the special ed attorneys of Raffaele Puppio for help in mitigating that risk. In Delaware County and throughout the greater Philadelphia area, we assist public schools and school districts in complying with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Pennsylvania’s Section 504 requirements, and all other federal, state, and local laws that govern the provision of special education services.

We have advised and assisted clients with due process hearings, due process appeals, and all other aspects of special education legal proceedings. We can even conduct audits of a school or district’s processes for dispensing special education services in order to identify potential shortcomings before they manifest in a lawsuit by a student’s family.

From The Blog

• Should Free Appropriate Public Education Be Extended to All Students?

  March 20, 2019

  Disabled students enjoy rights under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE).  Recently, in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, the Supreme Court ruled that trivial or insignificant progress is insufficient to provide FAPE under the IDEA. Under the IDEA, school districts must provide an... Read More...

• The Nation’s Special Education Law: IDEA

  January 10, 2019

  The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, commonly referred to as the IDEA, aims to provide children with disabilities across the nation with access to a free appropriate public education “that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living.” The IDEA covers... Read More...

• Technology in the Classroom: Rights and Responsibilities of Teachers

  October 18, 2018

  The increase in technology in the classroom is due to the realization that technology is necessary to prepare students for the world we live in. It has largely been a voluntary effort by school districts, who have the funds, embracing innovative and interesting ways to help students learn. There has also been growth in online... Read More...

• Medical Marijuana Use at Schools In Pennsylvania

  October 12, 2017

  Following the enactment of Act 16 of 2016, also known as the Medical Marijuana Act, the use of certain forms of marijuana (termed “medical marijuana”) has become legal in Pennsylvania for certain serious medical conditions. This does not necessarily mean that school law in Pennsylvania permits the use of medical marijuana by staff or students.... Read More...

• Congratulations Gabrielle Sereni and Tom Goham on Your Recent Marriage

  September 29, 2017

  As you might imagine, the attorneys of Raffaele Puppio have a great deal of experience with contracts. Most of the contracts we draft and execute are not particularly newsworthy, but the contract executed on September 9 by one of our senior education law attorneys is an exception. We are delighted for our colleague, Gabrielle “Gabby”... Read More...

• Special Education Law: What is KOSHK and Why is it Important?

  June 15, 2016

  An important fact in a special education due process proceeding is the “KOSHK” date, or the date that the parent “knew or should have known” about an alleged deprivation of special education. A “deprivation of special education” just mean that the parents are claiming that a child should have been provided with special education but... Read More...