Pennsylvania Special Education Lawyer and Advocate

Special Education Lawyer and Advocate

Pennsylvania Special Education Lawyer and Advocate

Steele Schneider’s special education lawyers and advocates represent children with special needs, often at no cost to their parents. We are proud to provide reliable and effective special education advocacy for children with disabilities throughout western and central Pennsylvania. This advocacy aims to improve your child’s IEP, secure their future education,  and recover any damages for past harms. 

How our Special Education Lawyer and Advocate Team Helps

Our special education attorneys and advocates have assisted children with special needs in all aspects of their education. This includes:

    • Advocating at IEP meetings
    • Litigating Special Education Due Process Complaints
    • Attending Mediation with the Office for Dispute Resolution
    • Attending Manifestation Determinations
    • Filing disability discrimination claims under the ADA or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
    • Representing students in school discipline hearings
    • Obtaining Independent Educational Evaluations at public expense.

We have worked with children with Autism, Emotional Disturbance, ADHD, Specific Learning Disabilities, Intellectual Disabilities, Speech and Language Impairments, Visual Impairments, Orthopedic Impairments, Traumatic Brain Injuries and multiple disabilities. 

Whatever special education problem you may be facing, we encourage you to contact us to discuss it. We are here to help.

Experienced Special Education Advocacy

Steele Schneider obtained favorable results in the following Special Education Due Process proceedings. The following decisions are available on the Office for Dispute Resolution’s website and only represent a sample of successful due process hearings and special education complaints Steele Schneider has participated in.

What does a special education lawyer cost?

Steele Schneider is proud to provide special education representation at no cost to parents. Special education laws permit successful parent attorneys to seek payment from the school district via a settlement agreement or following a successful due process hearing. Steele Schneider provides this no cost to the parent fee arrangement for a majority of our special education clients.

However, we cannot guarantee each potential claim will operate under this arrangement. Your case will be evaluated on an individual basis and the terms of our attorney-client relationship will be outlined in an engagement letter and fee agreement- even if that “fee agreement” indicates that you do not owe Steele Schneider anything. 

For families that do not wish to pursue litigation, Steele Schneider offers hourly advocacy services. We can also help connect you with a free advocacy service provider. 

What is involved in a Special Education Due Process proceeding?

Due Process Hearings can sound intimidating. We break the due process hearing timeline down into five steps. Steele Schneider’s attorneys will walk you through each step. Our goal is to provide you with the information you need to make the decisions that impact your child’s education. By the end, we aim to leave your IEP team in a better position than when we began. Despite the current dispute, that team needs to function in the future.
Visual showing the steps of a due process claim. 1. intake call to gather facts. 2. Investigation of special education records. 3. Draft Special Education Due Process Complaint 4. Attempt to negotiate an agreement 5. If negotiations fail proceed to a due process hearing

Resources

Special Education Newsroom

Our articles, news releases and other publications are listed below by date. 

Here are some of our recommended resources for learning more about special education and parent rights.

We Solve Special Education Problems

Steele Schneider represents children with special needs, often at no cost to their parents. We are proud to provide reliable and effective education advocacy for children with disabilities throughout western and central Pennsylvania. This advocacy aims to improve your child’s future education and recover any damages for past harms. 

How We Can Help

We have assisted children with special needs in all aspects of their education. This includes:

    • Advocating at IEP meetings
    • Litigating Special Education Due Process Complaints
    • Attending Mediation with the Office for Dispute Resolution
    • Attending Manifestation Determinations
    • Filing disability discrimination claims under the ADA or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
    • Representing students in school discipline hearings
    • Obtaining Independent Educational Evaluations at public expense.

We have worked with children with Autism, Emotional Disturbance, ADHD, Specific Learning Disabilities, Intellectual Disabilities, Speech and Language Impairments, Visual Impairments, Orthopedic Impariments, Traumatic Brain Injuries and multiple disabilities. 

Whatever special education problem you may be facing, we encourage you to contact us to discuss it. We are here to help.

Representative Clients/Cases

Steele Schneider obtained favorable results in the following Due Process proceedings. The following decisions are available on the Office for Dispute Resolution’s website and only represent a sample of due process hearings Steele Schneider has participated in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Steele Schneider is proud to provide special education representation at no cost to parents. Special education laws permit parent attorneys to seek payment from the school district via a settlement agreement or following a successful due process hearing. Steele Schneider provides this no cost to the parent fee arrangement for a majority of our special education clients.

However, we cannot guarantee each potential claim will operate under this arrangement. Your case will be evaluated on an individual basis and the terms of our attorney-client relationship will be outlined in an engagement letter and fee agreement- even if that “fee agreement” indicates that you do not owe Steele Schneider anything. 

For families that do not wish to pursue litigation, Steele Schneider offers hourly advocacy services. We can also help connect you with a free advocacy service provider. 

Resources

Here are some of our recommended resources for learning more about special education and parent rights.

Ready to Get Started?

Ready to Get Started?