Learning Center

Beyond Restraint, Criminalization, and Exclusionary Discipline - $79 for COPAA Members, $149 Registered Guests

The Beyond Restraint learning path includes the webinars listed below and their corresponding slide decks and white papers. 

TRAUMA IS NOT TREATMENT: Responding to School Removals for Emergency Psychiatric Evaluations - Payton Aldridge, Esq., Logal Ewing, Esq., Kathy Flann
Fighting Policies & Practices Used To Skirt IDEA Disciplinary Protections - Hector Linares, Esq, Ashley Dalton, Esq., and Sara Godchaux, Esq.
School Discipline Nuts & Bolts: Advocating for Students Subject to Exclusionary Discipline - Karen Martinez-Chung, Esq. & Stacy Nunez, Esq.
Best Advocacy Tips and Strategies for Creative and Promising School Mental Health Initiatives In Lieu of Punitive, Excl. School Discipline - Mikila Thompson, Esq. & Dawn Luster, Esq. 
Preparing for Manifestation Determination Review (MDR) Meetings: Ensuring a Fair Outcome 3.5 IDEA, ADA and 504: Effective representation of youth in residential treatment centers - Mandy Nolan & Heather Lytle
IDEA, ADA and 504: Effective representation of youth in residential treatment centers - David German, Esq. Amanda Simmons, Esq. and Leigh Ann Hodges, Esq.
Beyond Restraint: SROs and the Criminalization of Disability-Related Behaviors - Jack D. Robinson, Esq. 

Payton M. Aldridge, Esq.

Attorney

Disability Rights Maryland

Payton Aldridge is an attorney at Disability Rights Maryland (DRM) on the Education and Children’s Mental Health team. She specializes in special education, school discipline, and children’s mental health. She graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2020 and received her bachelor’s degree from Towson University in 2017. Prior to her work at DRM, she practiced family law at Maryland Legal Aid.

Karen Martinez-Chung

Staff Attorney

Children's Rights Project

Karen Martinez-Chung is a Staff Attorney with Public Counsel’s Children Rights Project and represents youth and families with education matters. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Southern California and a J.D. from UC College of the Law, San Francisco. While in law school she had the opportunity to assist youth, tenants, and refugees gain access to our legal system through the various public interest internships and clinics she participated in. Karen previously worked at the Alliance for Children's Rights serving different positions as Legal Assistant, Education Coordinator and Staff Attorney. She is committed to defending the education rights of system-impacted youth in Los Angeles County through representation in special education and school discipline proceedings.

Stacy Nuñez

Staff Attorney

Youth Justice Education Clinic

Stacy Nuñez is a Staff Attorney with the Youth Justice Education Clinic (YJEC) at the Center for Juvenile Law and Policy and provides education advocacy for young people, many of whom are often system-involved. They hold a B.A. in English from the University of California, Irvine and a J.D. from LMU Loyola Law School. Stacy was an Equal Justice Works fellow with YJEC and focused on advocating for the educational needs of Secure Track youth in Los Angeles County. Stacy’s goal is to emphasize the importance of education in supporting young people to live a fulfilled life once they are released from detention. Stacy is committed to dismantling the school-prison nexus by advocating for school stability, access to appropriate services, and representing students in school discipline proceeding

Mikila Thompson, Esq.

Staff Attorney

Kathryn A. McDonald Education Advocacy Project (EAP) at The Legal Aid Society

Mikila Thompson, Esq. is a Staff Attorney with The Legal Aid Society, Juvenile Rights Practice (JRP) where she is a Staff Attorney for the Kathryn A. McDonald Education Advocacy Project (EAP). In her role, Ms. Thompson advocates for clients who have various education needs including placement, services, suspension hearings, and school reengagement. Prior to her role in EAP, Ms. Thompson was an attorney for children who were the subject of Child Protective and Custody cases. Throughout her tenure with JRP, Mikila has served as a trainer for new attorneys, interns, and colleagues across The Legal Aid Society and also with the Practicing Law Institute (PLI). In addition to her training work at The Legal Aid Society, Ms. Thompson has served as a trainer in other disciplines including career preparation and coaching, real estate and finance, and personal finance. Ms. Thompson is an adjunct professor at CUNY School of Law, and an active member of the NYC Bar Association, serving as chairperson of the Mental Health Law Committee.

Mandy Nolan

Community Advocacy Liaison

Family Advocacy and Community Training (FACT)

Mandy Nolan is a dedicated Community Advocacy Liaison at Family Advocacy and Community Training (F.A.C.T.), where she leverages her extensive expertise in special education advocacy to support families and educate professionals. With a robust background in both educational advocacy and banking management, Mandy excels in developing and delivering training programs, refining curriculums, and fostering meaningful relationships with community partners. Mandy uses her lived experience as a foster parent and mother of two children, one that is on the Autism Spectrum, to help empower families to navigate the intricate special education processes. She is a SEAT Certified Educational Advocate through the Council of Parents, Advocates, and Attorneys, and is well-versed in special education laws, including IDEA, IEPs, and 504 plans.

Before joining F.A.C.T., Mandy Nolan spent over 20 years in the banking industry, where she honed her skills in management, training, and strategic planning. Her transition from banking to advocacy showcases her versatile skill set, including exceptional communication, problem-solving, and negotiation abilities. In her current role, Mandy has successfully conducted numerous impactful presentations and workshops, reaching over 1,000 participants and advancing the mission of F.A.C.T. through expert guidance and community outreach.

Jack D. Robinson

Attorney & Founder

Robinson Disability Law, LLC

Jack Robinson, is an attorney and founder of the law firm Robinson Disability Law, LLC, where his primary practice area is special education law, educational discrimination and disability rights law. Jack has been representing the rights of children with disabilities and their parents for over twenty-five years and is a frequent lecturer on the application and construction of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. He has represented clients in numerous due process proceedings, civil actions, and appeals. Jack was counsel of record for the student and his parents in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District RE-1, a case in which the United States Supreme Court’s decision in favor of the student established a substantive standard for a free appropriate public education and, in so doing, greatly expanded the rights of all children with disabilities. Jack is the founder of the Colorado Council of Special Education Lawyers, a current member of the Colorado Dispute Resolution Advisory Committee and a proud member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates.

David German

Co-Managing Partner

Vanaman German LLP

David German’s practice focuses exclusively on the needs of students with disabilities and their families. He has successfully represented hundreds of families throughout California in special education due process cases. He has litigated various individual and systemic cases focused on inclusive education and also handles cases where students have been injured or abused, or which involve discrimination based on disability. Some of David’s recent accomplishments include a $45 million jury award in Los Angeles Superior Court for non-verbal twins with autism for harm caused by the inappropriate use of corporal punishment and aversive behavioral interventions to gain behavioral compliance; D.R. v. Redondo Beach Unified School District, 56 F.4th 636 (9th Cir. 2022), a victory of behalf of a client in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that decisively dismisses two frequent arguments that schools use to support segregated classrooms and clarifying core questions around the right of students with significant support needs to be educated in general education settings; and an injunction issued in E.E., v. State of California, (NDCA case no. 21-cv-07585-SI), in the Northern District of California affirming that disabled students in the state must have access to a virtual education program equivalent to that received by their non-disabled peers, leading to a settlement in the case in which the Governor’s office agreed to support new legislative amendments ensuring those rights. Most recently, in M.C. v. Los Angeles Unified School District, et. al, (CACD Case No.: 2:20-cv-09127-CBM-E), a District Court held that the IDEA's Least Restrictive Environment Requirement fully applied to extended school year services and also found that failing to consider the length of extended school year program needed by individual students violated federal law. David has taught Education Law at UCLA School of Law and is a frequent presenter on special education law and litigation at continuing education programs for attorneys and educators. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his J.D., M.A., and Ph.D. from the University of Southern California.

Amanda Simmons

Founder

Amibika Law, PC

Amanda Simmons is a lived experience advocate and founder of Ambika Law, an educational law firm focused on special education and school injury. She is also a 2024-2025 American Bar Association Fellow focusing on institutional child abuse and has presented at conference including the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the National Association of Women Judges, National Association of Counsel for Children and frequently publishes on legal topics related to the troubled teen industry. She is passionate about protecting youth and devotes her practice to ensuring the safety of our most vulnerable children.

Leigh Ann Hodge

Partner

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Leigh Anne Hodge has more than three decades of experience as a litigator in a national law firm and has appeared in matters in federal and state courts across the country. She has been a panel member for the American Arbitration Association since 2020 and also has appeared in arbitration forums. Leigh Anne has represented clients in medical malpractice and personal injury matters, medical device and product liability litigation, insurance and ERISA litigation, medical staff privileges matters, and commercial and business disputes. After graduation from law school, Leigh Anne clerked for Judge Edward S. Smith, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She is licensed to practice law in Alabama, California, and Tennessee. The advocacy and legal representation work done by COPAA and its members is very personal for Leigh Anne—both her adult daughter as well as her granddaughter have special needs. As a passionate disability rights advocate, Leigh Anne is committed to ensuring the rights of both children and adults with disabilities.

Hector Linares

Professor

Loyola University New Orleans

Professor Linares teaches the Youth Justice section of the Law Clinic and is the Director of Skills & Experiential Learning. He received his B.A. in International Relations and Latin American Studies in 2000 from Tulane University and his J.D. in 2003 from New York University School of Law.  

Professor Linares joined the faculty in 2017 and has been a clinical law professor since 2009. Prior to entering academia, he was a juvenile public defender in New Orleans at Juvenile Regional Services (now Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights).  He also practiced disability rights law as a supervising attorney at Protection & Advocacy, Inc. in Los Angeles, California.  He began his career as the Southern Poverty Law Center Special Education Fellow at the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, where his advocacy on behalf of disabled students was nationally recognized through the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) Award for Distinguished Advocacy for the Educational Rights of Children with Disabilities.  Professor Linares has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including the Louisiana Public Defender Board, the Louisiana Mental Health Advocacy Service, and the Innocence Project – New Orleans. He currently serves on the Louisiana State Law Institute’s Children’s Code Committee and the LSBA's Children's Law Committee. He is co-director of The Gault Center's southern regional center and a certified Youth Defense Advocacy Program trainer.

Dawn Luster, Esq.

Staff Attorney

The Legal Aid Society, Kathryn A. McDonald Education Advocacy Project.

Dawn L. Yuster, Esq. is a Staff Attorney with The Legal Aid Society, Juvenile Rights Practice where she is a Staff Attorney in the Kathryn A. McDonald Education Advocacy Project. Dawn has been a civil rights lawyer for over two decades dedicated to racial and social justice, advocating for the needs of children, youth, and families who are in poverty, who have disabilities, and who face police or court involvement. Her expertise lies in direct legal representation and policy advocacy on general education, special education, mental health, and school discipline and policing issues for youth involved in or at risk of being involved in the juvenile, criminal, or family legal system to ensure they can access high-quality educational services. Prior to her current position, Dawn has worked at The Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Practice, Advocates for Children of New York, the ACLU, and the NYCLU, and as a New York Law School Adjunct Professor. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Pennsylvania and with a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law.

Logan Ewing

Attorney

Disability Rights Maryland

Logan Ewing is an attorney at Disability Rights Maryland (DRM) on the Education and Children’s Mental Health team. She has been employed at DRM since graduating from the University of Baltimore School of Law in August 2023. Her passion for working with children with disabilities was ignited while working at a camp for children with disabilities.

Kathy Flann

Writer & Parent

Parent COPAA Member

Kathy Flann is the parent of a special needs child. She works as a writer, and she serves on the faculty of the MA in Writing program at Johns Hopkins University. Her publications include four books, as well as personal essays and humor pieces in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Huffington Post, Slate, McSweeney’s, and elsewhere. She grew up in the Washington, DC area, and she lives in Baltimore with her husband, her son, and an 11-pound Yorkie-poo.

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White Paper - Trauma Is Not Treatment
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
Slide Deck - Trauma Is Not Treatment
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
TRAUMA IS NOT TREATMENT: Responding to School Removals for Emergency Psychiatric Evaluations
Open to view video.  |  80 minutes
Open to view video.  |  80 minutes This session will discuss the increasingly-used practice of removing students from school by school staff utilization of police or emergency personnel to transport them to emergency departments for psychiatric evaluations. The session will include testimony from a parent, data review, and best practices to address this issue.
White Paper - Fighting Policies & Practices Used To Skirt IDEA Disciplinary Protections
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
Slide Deck - Fighting Policies & Practices Used To Skirt IDEA Disciplinary Protections
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
Fighting Policies & Practices Used To Skirt IDEA Disciplinary Protections
Open to view video.  |  80 minutes
Open to view video.  |  80 minutes This presentation will focus on systemic reform strategies for stopping school districts that routinely skirt IDEA disciplinary protections by disguising expulsions as homebound placements or “voluntary” placements at alternative schools. Presenters will also discuss approaches for handling inappropriate juvenile court orders and school threat statutes used to push students with disabilities out of school for manifestations of their disabilities.
Slide Deck- School Discipline Nuts & Bolts: Advocating for Students Subject to Exclusionary Discipline
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
White Paper - School Discipline Nuts & Bolts: Advocating for Students Subject to Exclusionary Discipline
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
School Discipline Nuts & Bolts: Advocating for Students Subject to Exclusionary Discipline
Open to view video.  |  80 minutes
Open to view video.  |  80 minutes Session is being re-recorded. Once complete we will upload and make it available - for questions contact van@copaa.org. Learn about the legal protections for students being subjected to exclusionary discipline (suspension, expulsion, and informal forms of school pushout), and how to enforce these rights. The goal is for you to be prepared with the tools necessary to navigate school discipline issues and have a better understanding of what to expect during these processes.
White Paper - Best Advocacy Tips and Strategies for Creative and Promising School Mental Health Initiatives In Lieu of Punitive, Excl. School Discipline
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
Slide Deck - Best Advocacy Tips and Strategies for Creative and Promising School Mental Health Initiatives In Lieu of Punitive, Excl. School Discipline
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
6.9 - Best Advocacy Tips and Strategies for Creative and Promising School Mental Health Initiatives In Lieu of Punitive, Excl. School Discipline
Open to view video.  |  80 minutes
Open to view video.  |  80 minutes Our country faces an enduring youth mental health crisis that pre-dated, and was then exacerbated by, the COVID-19 pandemic. This session provides tips and strategies to best advocate for creative and promising school-based behavioral and mental health initiatives as alternatives to punitive, exclusionary discipline and policing policies and practices in school.
White Paper - Preparing for Manifestation Determination Review (MDR) Meetings: Ensuring a Fair Outcome
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
Slide Deck - Preparing for Manifestation Determination Review (MDR) Meetings: Ensuring a Fair Outcome
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
Preparing for Manifestation Determination Review (MDR) Meetings: Ensuring a Fair Outcome
Open to view video.  |  80 minutes
Open to view video.  |  80 minutes Discover effective strategies to prepare for Manifestation Determination Review (MDR) meetings and to increase positive outcomes for students. This session delves into IDEA requirements, essential considerations when reviewing school records, and the utility of the DSM-5-TR. Gain practical tips and insights to navigate MDR meetings successfully.
Slide Deck - IDEA, ADA and 504: Effective representation of youth in residential treatment centers
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
White Paper - IDEA, ADA and 504: Effective representation of youth in residential treatment centers
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
IDEA, ADA and 504: Effective representation of youth in residential treatment centers
Open to view video.  |  80 minutes
Open to view video.  |  80 minutes The "troubled teen industry" and institutional child abuse is a trending legal issue with deep societal impact. This panel provides practical advice for representing youth in residential centers. Specifically, attendees learn: (1) the history and policy of the industry from a lived experience perspective; (2) effective representation of youth on IDEA, Title II of the ADA and Section 504 claims; and (3) tools and strategies to prevent unnecessary placements.
White Paper - Beyond Restraint: SROs and the Criminalization of Disability-Related Behaviors
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
Slide Deck - Beyond Restraint: SROs and the Criminalization of Disability-Related Behaviors
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
Beyond Restraint: SROs and the Criminalization of Disability-Related Behaviors
Open to view video.  |  80 minutes
Open to view video.  |  80 minutes SROs are intended to ensure student safety, but for students with disabilities, they are often used for routine discipline and behavior management, bypassing IDEA’s protections and rules against improper restraint and seclusion. This session examines school districts’ use of SROs and the legal implications of circumventing the educational and civil rights of students with disabilities.