Education Rights & Youth
Stopping a bully, meeting a special education need, providing a loving legal guardian can mean everything for a child’s future.
Is your child having trouble at school, or do you need help with a youth legal issue?
How we help
We help families make sure children get full access to education, including any special education services they are entitled to. We stand up for students who unfairly face suspension, expulsion, or other discipline, and we challenge discrimination based on race, disability, or other parts of their identity.
We also help young people seeking emancipation (legal independence from their parents), and relatives and other caregivers get guardianship so they can care for a child when parents can’t.
2.6x
Washington students with disabilities are 2.6 times more likely to be suspended or expelled compared to their peers.
During the COVID-19 shutdown, I cared for my nephew nearly every day. I was more than happy to, but I was not his legal guardian. His school had previously notified me of attendance issues when not in my care. If I was going to act as his guardian, I needed to be able to ensure his needs were met.
Melanie, NJP Client
Legal Aid Matters
Education is one of the most powerful paths out of poverty, but students of color and students with disabilities are disciplined more often and more harshly than their peers, and students pushed out of school are more likely to drop out. Most families lack the resources to challenge a school’s decision on their own. When we step in, students stay in school, get the support they need to learn, and have a real chance at a stable future.
Washington students with disabilities are 2.6 times more likely to be suspended or expelled compared to their peers. Legal aid changes the math.
JN’s Story
A mother fights for justice in wake of racist attacks
A Black 8th grader in Vancouver was violently attacked at school by a student who had earlier harassed him with racial slurs. Although administrators had been warned the attack was coming they did nothing to protect him. Instead, the school suspended and then expelled him. After a years-long fight, NJP gathered the evidence to win a settlement that cleared his record and included money and staff training. Years later, he was thriving in high school while his mother led efforts to support Black families at his school.
Case Study
Education Rights & Youth
Fight for One Child’s Rights Leads to District-Wide Change
Children with disabilities have the right to an appropriate public education. They also have the right to accommodations for their disabilities. These rights maximize their access to the general education curriculum and help them learn alongside their classmates. Schools cannot separate children from others based their disabilities. Each child also has the right to a specific, measurable amount of special education.
Yet some school districts still find it easier or cheaper to ignore these duties. When that happens, parents must provide the accommodations themselves. This makes it harder for them to keep their jobs and to make sure their children get the best possible education.
In one case, the district denied a student with a disability the accommodations she needed to ride the bus to school. She also said the district was not providing all the services listed in her Individualized Education Program. As a result, she missed a lot of school and instruction time. Her mother lost work because she had to stay home with her child or drive her to school.
Students who face disability discrimination in public schools can file complaints with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). NJP filed a complaint for this client, and OSPI ruled in her favor. OSPI awarded her money for her expenses. It also ordered the district to make up the services the child had lost.
There were wider impacts. Through the case, it became clear that the district had failed to keep proper records of how much instruction it actually provided. The state ordered district-wide relief, including training for employees on how to document the time spent in instruction and ordered the district to report on its compliance with this requirement going forward.
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