Youth and Education Law Project 6

Selected Individual Cases

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2026

New Beginnings and Support Systems 2

New Beginnings and Support Systems

Our middle school client was in juvenile detention when we first met. Though he had an extensive disciplinary history at several schools, his family was eager and determined to support […]
Strengthening Systems of Support

Strengthening Systems of Support

This quarter, we represented a middle school student and his family in response to his school district’s ongoing use of punitive and exclusionary discipline practices. Through our advocacy in multiple […]
Securing Appropriate Special Education Placement

Securing Appropriate Special Education Placement

Our client was an elementary school student with autism, compulsive tendencies, and a history of trauma. After a series of escalating self-injurious behaviors, his foster-parents were forced to remove him […]
Overcoming Eligibility Denials

Overcoming Eligibility Denials

Our elementary school client, who has a history of autism, struggled with significant socio-emotional challenges after the school district deemed her ineligible for special education services. After her parent’s request […]
A Safer School Environment: An IEP Victory 1

A Safer School Environment

Our seven-year-old client lived with a severe form of epilepsy and autism. His mother was deeply concerned about his safety at school given the high risk of brain damage and […]

2025

Getting Back in School

Getting Back in School

Our client had been out of school for more than two years because of a rare medical condition. Through advocacy with the school district and delicate client counseling, we were […]
Avoiding Expulsion

Avoiding Expulsion

Our high school client struggled with school attendance for months due to mental health issues. When she finally returned to school, she became involved in an altercation and was faced […]
Isabel Mendiola, Joelle Miller

Fighting Discrimination

We filed a uniform procedures complaint on behalf of a grandmother and her middle-school-aged grandson, who had faced repeated discrimination at his school based on his race, disability, and gender. […]
Securing Appropriate Supports

Securing Appropriate Supports

We helped an elementary school student with visual impairments gain access to the assistive technology she needed to participate in her education. When we met our client, she had not […]
Getting Reimbursement for Family

Getting Reimbursement for Family

We worked with an eighth-grade special education student and his mom to obtain reimbursement after his school district failed to provide home-based instruction for two months. When we met the […]
Ensuring Access for all Students

Ensuring Access for all Students

We worked with an eighth grader and his family to challenge the admissions criteria at the college preparatory public high school in his school district. As a result of YELP’s […]

2024

Appealing an unlawful expulsion

Appealing an Unlawful Expulsion

Few things are as important in school discipline as due process. We represented a student who had been expelled over 150 days after the precipitating incident, a flagrant violation of […]
Fighting an illegal school transfer

Fighting an Illegal School Transfer

We represented a high school student with special education needs to obtain appropriate placement and related support services. The school district initially sought expulsion and then residential treatment center placement, […]
Providing accountability

Providing Accountability

We drafted a uniform district complaint on behalf of a mother and her middle-school daughter who was repeatedly harassed and assaulted at school. Despite assuring the mother that the school […]
Listening to parents

Listening to Parents

During my time with the YELP clinic, I worked on two cases. The two cases involved helping mothers with 9-year-old sons in the 4th grade. Both cases were eerily similar […]
Getting to Graduation

Getting to Graduation

YELP represented a family and their high school daughter with a history of emotional disturbance, but who was adjusting well both socially and academically, had become involved in school activities […]
Securing the right school placement

Securing the Right School Placement

Our clients’ son, who is nonverbal and autistic, had been neglected by his school district for virtually his entire school career. Not only was he not provided with the kind […]