Section 504 and the IDEA are both federal laws designed to ensure that students with disabilities are able to fully access a free and appropriate public K-12 education, but what is the difference between the two laws, and which one applies when? In this session, Atty. Erin D. Gilsbach discusses the difference between the two laws, including eligibility determinations, programming for students under each law, and how and when they might overlap for students. Atty. Gilsbach shares important information for both parents and educators on the rights granted and obligations imposed by both laws.

Progress monitoring is an inherent part of the special education process, but progress monitoring results can be confusing, inconsistent, and too often not even an accurate measurement of the skill they are designed to measure. In this session, Atty. Erin D. Gilsbach focuses on the legal importance of progress monitoring. She discusses some of the common problems and pitfalls that prevent them from being able to accurately and easily monitor a student’s progress, and she provides simple, practical solutions for improving progress monitoring across educational settings.

This training identifies the 3 primary rights guaranteed to parents/students under FERPA & provides an overview of the federal privacy obligations of public schools.

Schools often encounter complex family situations and issues. Can a step-parent view a child’s medical records without specific authorization? Can a custodial grandparent without legal guardianship agree to related services in an IEP? What rights do foster parents have? This session provides a practical approach to determining who has rights with regards to a student and what role non-parents may play in the education of a child. Atty. Gilsbach provides informational graphics, quick-reference guides, procedural tips, and memorable case studies to reinforce the important lessons learned.

Schools across the nation are dealing with an influx of undocumented students, who have specific rights with regards to public education. Such students often have complicated needs, particularly if they are students with disabilities. In this session, special education attorney Erin D. Gilsbach discusses the rights of undocumented special education students and their parents under state and federal law and answers common legal questions. She discusses such legal issues as obligations to parents and students related to language barriers, child find obligations and the specific challenges that may be posed by English language learners with underlying special needs, health-related issues, coordination of services between school and home, the potential implications of involvement of law enforcement in behavioral and disciplinary actions, and other important topics. This is a key session for educators seeking to better understand the legal complexities of educating undocumented students with special needs.

Who makes IDEA decisions if a student is living with a neighbor and doesn’t have contact with his parents? What if parents are separated and both want to attend an IEP meeting but refuse to be in the same room? What if one parent is currently incarcerated or is subject to a protection-from-abuse order but expresses a desire to be involved in the IEP process? What if parents disagree about important issues such as administration of medication or the provision specific accommodations or services? Do any of these questions sound familiar? Special educators encounter a wide variety of family law issues with some posing a complicated entanglement of both state and federal law. In this session, special education attorney Erin D. Gilsbach discusses the legal aspects of and provides some helpful solutions to some of the most common (and a few interestingly uncommon) family law issues that educators may encounter.

Litigation can have devastating impacts on both schools and families. Fortunately, it is often avoidable through the development of positive relationships between parents and schools, based upon clear communication and mutual trust.

In this session, Atty. Gilsbach, with nearly 20 years’ experience practicing special education law, discusses how FAPE-related conflicts often result from a breakdown in communication between the parties. She uses case-specific examples to provide meaningful, practical tips and tools for both schools and parents to help facilitate positive relationships.

From swim teams to middle school musicals and everything in between, public schools offer wide varieties of extracurricular activities and field trip opportunities, but what are their legal obligations regarding accommodating students with disabilities at these events/trips, and are today's schools really doing enough? In this session, Erin D. Gilsbach, Esq., a school attorney who provides professional development to educators, school leaders, and school attorneys nationwide, provides an in-depth analysis of this issue. Using recent cases from across the nation to provide an expansive study of the topic, Atty. Gilsbach answers some of the most prominent and sometimes puzzling questions: Can/should schools provide different accommodations for events/trips than what they provide for a student during the school day? When do schools need to have a nurse present? Who is authorized to administer medication? Can school nurses practice nursing across state lines? Can volunteers with nursing licenses pride nursing functions? Can schools require parents to of disabilities to attend such trips/events? What happens when a school and a students physician disagree about the student's ability to participate in a particular activity? What obligations do schools have to implement Section 504 plans at sporadic/irregular events like dances, concerts, and sporting events? In a lively and interactive session that is as fun as it is informative, Atty. Gilsbach answers these questions and more using advanced visual technology, helpful charts and infographics, and invaluable written reference materials. 

The long-awaited revisions to the Section 504 regulations have finally been issued!  In this session, Attorney Erin D. Gilsbach provides a clear and concise overview of the changes as well as an in-depth analysis of their implications for the practice of special education.  Through the use of helpful quick-reference graphic tools and handouts, she identifies the key changes to the law, discussing the practical impact of each change as it is reviewed.  She also provides best-practice tips for implementing the new changes and incorporating them into current school practices and procedures, and she provides practical and helpful tools for those responsible for their implementation. This session is essential for all educators and administrators, as it provides important information regarding these most recent and key legal changes to the Section 504 regulations, which apply to ALL students with disabilities.

Can a public school be held responsible for the mistakes and misdeeds of 3rd-party organizations? How separate does a group need to be to ensure that their actions will not cause liability for a school? What can schools do to limit legal exposure while still taking advantage of the benefits of these essential relationships? In this webinar, nationally-recognized school law attorney Erin D. Gilsbach discusses how schools can minimize potential liability when working with 3rd-party community organizations, such as PTAs,. Booster Clubs, and foundations.

When do schools need to have a nurse present? Are schools able to use volunteer nurses on field trips in lieu of school nurses? What about administration of medication on school trips? This session analyzes the laws that may require schools to have nursing staff present and discusses practical solutions to nursing shortages. Atty. Gilsbach, a frequent presenter on school nursing issues, provides important and much-needed information on this difficult subject. All school leaders, school nurses, educators, and school event organizers need to have this critical information.