Seeking Solutions for students with learning differences through community support
The author, Juliet Hiznay, is a civil rights advocate and Virginia licensed attorney. Will Covid-19 Permanently Undermine Special Education? Special Education – The Lifeline Special education is a lifeline for families across the country. Incredibly dedicated teachers, therapists and administrators dedicate their lives to educating children across the United States. They believe in access in …
Continue reading “Will Covid-19 Permanently Undermine Special Education?”
By Juliet D. Hiznay May 2019 A flurry of online discussions suggest that Virginia high school students and their families are confused about what verified credits are required to graduate with a Standard or an Advanced Studies Diploma in Virginia. This is partly due to legislative efforts to reduce the burdens of testing on public …
Continue reading “Answering Your Questions: Will My Child Have Enough Verified Credits to Graduate?”
Today, a newly formed Coalition for Trauma-Informed Schools issued a statement to Fairfax County Schools regarding the crisis in restraint and seclusion in the school district. Below is the text of the statement from the Coalition which is made up of several prominent organizations, disability and mental health advocates, clinicians and special education attorneys who …
Continue reading “Fairfax Students Traumatized by Restraint and Seclusion, Say Advocates”
By Juliet D. Hiznay, Attorney at Law Published March 2019 There is a broad consensus among parents of children with disabilities, child advocates and attorneys that we need to transform Arlington’s approach to charging children and adults with crimes, particularly those with disabilities. In 2015, the Center for Public Integrity ranked Virginia as number 1 …
Continue reading “Richmond Advocacy Alone Cannot Fix Arlington’s Handling of Criminal Justice”
The following is a public comment written by Juliet D. Hiznay, Esq., and submitted to the Virginia Board of Education on November 15, 2016. *** I write to you as the parent of a Virginia public school student and as an attorney who represents children experiencing the devastating effects of restraint and seclusion. Virginia schools …
Continue reading “Public Comment on Virginia’s Proposed Restraint and Seclusion Regulations”
The author, Juliet Hiznay, is a special education advocate and attorney in private practice in Northern Virginia. For information about her practice, visit http://jdhiznay.com/ The 2016 session of the Virginia General Assembly may prove to be a watershed moment for the rights of all children in Virginia schools, and particularly those with disabilities. Advocates and educators across …
Continue reading “Project Save Childhood: The Need to Improve School Climate in Virginia”
The author, Juliet Hiznay, is a special education advocate and attorney in private practice in Northern Virginia. For information about her practice, visit http://jdhiznay.com/ There is an exhaustion factor to being a parent or guardian of a child who requires special education services. Getting the proper plan in place is not a single event. In fact, continuous …
Continue reading “Getting Unstuck: Tips to Avoid the Endless IEP Process”
The author, Juliet Hiznay, is a special education advocate and attorney in private practice in Northern Virginia. For information about her practice, visit http://jdhiznay.com/ A glutton for punishment, I spent most of today watching a live stream of a Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) meeting about the Standard Diploma in Virginia with “by invitation only” stakeholders. Listening …
Continue reading “Ready or Not: Massive Diploma Changes Are Here for Virginia Students”
The author, Juliet Hiznay, is a special education advocate and attorney in private practice in Northern Virginia. For information about her practice, visit http://jdhiznay.com/ Submitted as a comment to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Human Rights & Civil Rights for its December 12, 2012 hearing on “Ending the School to Prison Pipeline” As an attorney, …
Continue reading “More Due Process for a Traffic Ticket? Why Schools Make Bad Courts”
The author, Juliet Hiznay, is a special education advocate and attorney in private practice in Northern Virginia. For information about her practice, visit http://jdhiznay.com/ All this talk in the national press about Medicare and Medicaid has me thinking about the state of things in Virginia for children with disabilities as it stands today. A short preview is: …
Continue reading “A Rationing System: Waiting Lists for Medicaid Waiver Services in Virginia”