General Education Legal Services

We are committed to providing quality legal services in the area of education. The specific legal services our firm provides include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• School District, Board Member, and staff liability;
• School safety, harassment, bullying and violence;
• Student disciplinary proceedings and hearings;
• Student constitutional rights;
• Residency issues;
• Budget challenges.

School Board Governance

Our Firm provides guidance in open meetings law, freedom of information law, Board operations and procedures, contracts, labor relations matters, Board resolutions and all facets of governance. Our Firm also handles litigation from the initial filings through the appellate level.

Special Education Law

In addition to our general education legal services, we are committed to providing quality legal services in the area of special education and to developing and fostering good working relationships between parents and school districts.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and New York State Education Law require schools to identify and provide a “child with a disability” with a “free appropriate public education” (FAPE) that meets his or her unique needs in the “least restrictive environment” (LRE). In doing so, a school must develop an individualized education program (IEP) to meet that child’s individual needs. The IEP must be reasonably calculated to confer “meaningful educational benefit” to the child.
The specific legal services our firm provides include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• Case evaluation and strategic planning;
• Special Education eligibility and/or IEP;
• Eligibility and/or IEP review matters;
• Classification of children with disabilities;
• Special education dispute resolution;
• CPSE and CSE determinations and appeals;
• Disciplinary proceedings and manifestation hearings.

Contact Us

Please call our South Nyack Office at (845) 353-2000
for inquiries regarding our Education and Special Education Practice,
or to arrange a consultation with one of our lawyers below:

Brian D. Nugent, Partner