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Ten
Tips for Avoiding Due Process Hearings
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Dr. DePaola represents parents of children with
disabilities in the State of Alabama. She has also
served as a consultant to State Departments of
Education, local school systems, and public non-profit
entities outside of the State to provide educational
opportunities to administrators, teachers, and others.
If your system or department has a need for a
consultant to provide training in IDEA, consider
whether the perspective of a speaker who has
experience as a teacher, administrator, hearing
officer, and college professor (all in one) would be
helpful. Often, someone who has "walked in the
shoes" of conference participants can connect
more meaningfully with them.
Workshops have been presented by Dr. DePaola for State
Departments of Education and local school systems in
the following areas: Training of Hearing Officers,
Discipline, Behavioral Intervention, How to Avoid Due
Process, and an IDEA Overview.
Workshop Resources
by Dr. DePaola:
As a school system
administrator how can you balance satisfying concerned
parents of a special education child and the very real
limitations of your school system's resources?
During her many years of handling the legal aspects of
insuring that deserving children are afforded special
education opportunities Dr. DePaola has authored a
report titled "Ten Ways for School Systems To
(Keep Parents Out of My Office and) Avoid a Due
Process Hearing". This valuable, free
report explains in laymen's terms how to:
- Prevent parents from
becoming your "opponents"
- Take one simple step
to prevent the "This Is My Kingdom"
syndrome
- Communicate (really!)
with parents and attorneys
- Gain the confidence
of concerned parents
- Avoid becoming a
sure-fire loser in a due process
hearing
- Negotiate your way
to a satisfactory conclusion for everyone
To
download this free report please complete the brief
form below and click the Submit button.
About Susan Shirock DePaola
Susan Shirock DePaola is an attorney in Montgomery, Alabama who served for 10 years as a hearing officer for special education cases. In other words, Ms. DePaola decided special education cases like yours! She began serving as a lawyer representing parents and children in 1999.
She has a doctorate in elementary education and 10 years experience as a teacher and an administrator in public and private schools.
She has been practicing law since 1982 and has served as a consultant with the Southeastern Regional Resource Center, the Mississippi State Department of Education, the Virgin Islands Dept. of Education and she has taught special education law at the University of Alabama.
Her perspective is unique. With legal experience, classroom experience and her experience as a school administrator she can look at all of the facets of a problem.
As a parent of a student with a disability your case will receive close scrutiny and you will not be urged to file for a due process hearing unless Dr. DePaola is convinced that your case has merit. Any other approach simply creates bad feelings between the school system and parents.
The best case scenario is for parents and school system personnel to understand that we are trying to work together even though we may have disagreements at times which require outside resolution. Having a lawyer representing you does not necessarily mean a hostile relationship between the school system and you! Look for a lawyer to assist you who believes that it is a part of his or her responsibility to preserve your good relationship with school personnel.
Click here for Dr. DePaola's resume.
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Susan Shirock DePaola is a special education attorney who served for 10 years as a hearing officer for special education cases. In other words, Ms. DePaola decided special education cases like yours! She began serving as a lawyer representing parents and children in 1999.
Located in Montgomery, Alabama, Susan S. DePaola represents clients involving special education for children throughout the state of Alabama including the counties of Autauga, Baldwin, Baldwin, Baldwin, Baldwin, Baldwin, Barbour, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chilton, Clarke, Colbert, Colbert, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Etowah, Franklin, Geneva, Houston, Jackson, Jackson, Jefferson, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lauderdale, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Limestone, Madison, Madison, Madison, Marshall, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Montgomery, Morgan, Morgan, Pickens, Randolph, St. Clair, St. Clair, Shelby, Shelby, Talladega, Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa, Tuscumbia, Walker, Walker, and Walker. The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you decide, ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience.
No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. (Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct rule 7.2(e)(1997)). Susan S. DePaola, 1726 West Second Street, Montgomery, Alabama 36106,
334-262-1600.
This site (c) 2005
Susan Shirock DePaola.
All rights reserved. Website
designed and maintained by MELCOOPER.
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Susan S. DePaola, Attorney
Montgomery, Alabama
Specializing in Special Education for Children with Disabilities
http://specialeducationattorney.com
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