Special Education School Attorneys Meet in Private
Parents Not Welcome at Conference

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A national conference for special education attorneys who represent school districts, will be held on November 29 to December 1, 1995, at the Princess Resort in San Diego. The conference agenda offers sessions on such topics as "Parental Abuse of the Process: How Do We Try to Stop It?" In this session, attendees will be told how to implement "aggressive action" in the form of "several strategies which might be used before the IEP meeting, at the meeting, at the prehearing conference and at the hearing itself." Another session, "Prehearing Discovery: Gaining the Tactical Edge," reveals how to use "strategic and tactical discovery techniques to gain the upper hand at the start of the proceedings."

A spokesperson for the sponsor of the event, a company called "LRP," stated that parents could not attend any part of the conference. Conference promotional literature, states that "participation is limited in order to encourage open dialogue and discussion." Parents are not the only ones excluded from this meeting. Attorneys who "represent parties with special education interests adverse to school districts" are also excluded.

Parents and taxpayers in the Sacramento City School District will likely take a special interest in this conference. Sacramento City, readers will recall, gained fame as the district which lost a landmark case against parents who wanted their child fully included. Although the total amount may never be completely known, it is thought that the district spent anywhere from $250,000 to $500,000 to fight the parents--a windfall for the school attorneys by any measure (and a disaster for taxpayers).

Publisher's Note: While the content and organization of this conference may upset parents and taxpayers, it illustrates as nothing else can, the fact that for some enterprising individuals, special education represents a business opportunity to exploit. It may seem morally repugnant for people to make money off the handicapped and their families in this way; however, just like the "oldest profession," such attorneys will probably always be with us. In the world of special education these people are the bottom feeders, who mask their audacious purpose by calling what they do a "service" to schools. To learn more about this conference call LRP at 703-684-0510.