Wrightslaw: Special Education Law

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Summary: Wrightslaw: Special Education Law
Review: As a parent of a child with autism, I have faced many struggles.
Working with the public school system to provide my son an appropriate education has been the hardest struggle by far. I have read Wrightslaw: Special Ed Law and From Emotions to Advocacy by Peter Wright and have found them to be an invaluable resource for parents of special needs children. As with any disability, parents must educate themselves in order to help their child. These books are loaded with information that is essential for parents who wants to be strong advocates. I recommend these books to every parent who has a child in the public school system.

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Summary: A Needed Resource
Review: As the BellaOnline Disabilities Host, I know that special education laws can cause confusion. This book will help you understand special education laws in easy and comfortable ways. I recommend this book to parents, advocates, people with disabilities, and teachers who work with special needs students.

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Summary: This should be the first tool in the advocate's tool box!
Review: Effective special education advocacy begins with knowledge. Peter and Pamela Wright are nationally known for their litigation and educational advocacy skills. This new work is a substantial contribution to any parent's or attorney's tool box.

The book and detailed index place a great deal of information in a compact, lie-flat, graphically pleasing volume. It provides more than 370 pages of the fundamental statutes, regulations, and U.S. Supreme Court decisions that weave the matrix of IDEA special education law and Section 504 law, as well as providing the educational record keeping rules of FERPA.

The authors introduce each basic source material with "overview chapters" to assist a lay reader. One of the best features of the book is the insertion of editorial content by the authors immediately adjacent to various statutory sections of text of IDEA. For example, on pages 76-77, the authors advise on the confusing area of manifestation determination reviews, suspension or expulsion, and interim alternative education settings.

As a practicing attorney advocate for children with special education needs, my interest in special education law began with one of my daughters, a child with a disability."Wrightslaw: Special Education Law" differs from other compilations, which bury the raw statutes in fine print in an appendix at the back of the book. It is an intelligent selection of the mandatory laws presented in a readable font and organized with user-friendly editorial overviews and commentary. With this new book, parents and attorneys have the actual law at their fingertips to dispell misinformation and (sadly) disinformation from administrators in local school systems.The Wrights have made a terrific contribution in assembling so much important material.

Reviewed by Malcolm B. Higgins,II. Law Offices of Malcolm B.Higgins,II, Virginia Beach, Va.

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Summary: An absolute "must-have" resource for special education!
Review: For attorneys who practice in the areas of special education law, for parents who have children with disabilities, for and parent/child advocates, Pete's book on special education law is a necessity! Due to the complexity of special ed laws and the amended IDEA, their book provides an easy-to-carry copy of the statute that is available at your fingertips. Furthermore, the comments and insights by the authors assists the reader in applying the laws to their cases. It is a wonderful reference to have included landmark special ed cases that are used over and over again by attorneys without the need to haul cumbersome law books. I stongly recommend this book to anyone who works in the area of special education law. I have recommended this book to parents, as well as referred parents to the 'wrightslaw' website. Their book is 'parent-friendly', and refreshing for attorneys to read convoluted laws reduced to plain language. Congratulations to the authors on making a difficult statute easy to understand!

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Summary: Great Resource for Parents and Professionals
Review: Having observed first-hand Peter Wright's prowess in a hearing, I was more than anxious to review his book. As usual, he and his wife, Pam, have brought the complexities of Special Education Law into focus through their clear and concise use of normal human language. This is a must have book for anyone who works in the field of Special Education.

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Summary: Pete and Pam have outdone themselves again!
Review: Having observed first-hand Peter Wright's prowess in a hearing, I was more than anxious to review his book. As usual, he and his wife, Pam, have brought the complexities of Special Education Law into focus through their clear and concise use of normal human language. This is a must have book for anyone who works in the field of Special Education.

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Summary: A must have for any parent fighting for services
Review: I am a parent of a child who five years ago, was illegally denied services by his high school and because of the fighting between parents and school adiminstration, our son wound up being expelled for behavior associated with his disorder. Out of that situation, I have devoted my life to helping parents of children with Attention Deficit Disorder, to make sure this does not happen to their child. I have accumulated years woth of documents on the legal aspects of advocating for your child. This book, eliminates the need for me to have those files. It is consise, to the point, realistic, and based on sound legal advice, and the best advice I have ever seen relative to Special Education. As an active advocate, on a nationwide basis, for children with Attention Deficit Disorder, this is now the first book I go to to get help from. This is not just another rehash of old ideas. I don't think you need this book. I know you need this book.

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Summary: This book has saved me many hours of frustrating research.
Review: I found this book extremely helpful and have recommended it to my colleagues and clients. Special education law is extremely complex and as beginning practitioner I have spent many long hours researching the law. This book provides the essential laws and regulations, helpful explanations, and then a comprehensive index system allowing the reader whether a parent, teacher or lawyer to pinpoint key issues with ease. It provides a great spring board and direction for more thorough research. I take it with me to child study, eligibility and IEP meetings. I wish it had been available when I first started practicing special education law.

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Summary: Excellent guide for parents
Review: I found this book to be an excellent resource for getting the special education my 10 year old son needed. Not only does it point out the "common" methods school systems circumvent the Law (and your childs education), it tells the reader how to deal with it. Also of note was the text of several court cases on special education law and how it relates to the parents. Yes, we have a lot more rights and control of our childrens education than the school systems are willing to acknowledge! Especially educational was how it pointed out that school systems often do not have all the members present for a meeting, but the law requires ALL members to be present. This is a must have for parents of Special Educational need students.

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Summary: "Copied" laws without an in-depth analysis are no real help
Review: I was very disappointed by this book. I expected one on Special Education Laws which would provide desperately needed in-depth guidance on extremely difficult-to-comprehend statutes and regulations with their infuriatingly elusive legalese. Instead, for a hefty price, the reader seems to get no more guidance than what anyone can obtain online today for FREE (namely, "copies" of these laws) using your own printer by accessing various Websites geared to parents in training and advocacy vis a vis the plight of their special education kids.