Children’s Advocacy Collier

The Education Legal Rights Project of Collier County provides legal representation to children and parents when the child’s needs are not being met in the school. The child may need additional services due to a learning disability, physical, mental or emotional disability, other health impairment, or another disabling condition under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

According to this Act, children and parents have the right to a free and appropriate public education, which may require special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs.

Legal Aid Service of Collier County provides services that include:

• Assisting students in receiving timely testing by the school district
• IDEA eligibility determinations and proper placement
• Ensuring the child receives appropriate and effective special education services in a timely manner
• Representation of students at individual education plan (IEP) meetings
• If necessary, obtaining a free and independent psychological evaluation from professionals outside the school system
• Working with children and parents on their Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
• If necessary, representation at administrative hearings and due process hearings and in litigation
• Referrals as appropriate to outside social service organizations

Intake:

Call (239) 775-4555 from Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Links to useful sites and Resources:

• Collier School News
• Local Schools
• News-Press Education
• Collier Exceptional Student Education
• Collier School Board
• CADRE Consortium for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education
• Council for Exceptional Children
• Curriculum Warehouse
• Education Sector Issues Special Education
• ERIC – Education Resources Information Center
• Family Network on Disabilities of Florida, Inc
• Free Appropriate Public Education
• Inclusive Classrooms and Communities
• Learning Disability OnLine
• Mayerslaw
• NICHCY National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
• Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights
• Sharing The Commitment
• Special Education Law
• The Law and Special Education
• Wrightslaw
• Admin Code-Fla ESE- Florida Administrative Code Administrative Rules
• APA – Administrative Procedure Act
• Fla DOE ESE- The Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services
• Florida Statutes Chapter 1003
• Florida Statutes Chapter 1006
• NAEP – Information for Parents
• OCR – Office of Civil Rights
• OSEP- Office of Special Education Programs
• OSERS- Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services
• USDOE-IDEA 2004 US Department of Education IDEA
• Florida Kinship Center
• The Annie E. Casey Foundation
• Florida Department of Juvenile Justice
• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
• GUARDIAN AD LITEM
• Department of Children and Families including online public assistance application
• Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation