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What is COPAA?
The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. (COPAA) is an independent, nonprofit, §501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization of attorneys, advocates and parents. Our primary mission is to secure high quality educational services for children with disabilities.
COPAA is premised on the belief that the key to effective educational programs for children with disabilities is collaboration -as equals- by parents and educators.
Learn More |
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Mark your calendars and make plans now to attend the 12th Annual COPAA Conference in St. Louis, March 11-14, 2010! Registration Now Open! COPAA is the only national membership organization specifically serving special education attorneys and advocates. The annual COPAA conference draws over four hundred individuals from across the country for intensive training, workshops, and meetings. The COPAA conference is the best way to network with experienced advocates. More |
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COPAA is pleased to announce the webinar series Special Education Law: Fundamentals, Impact of Current Decisions and Climate, and Recommended Advocacy Strategies. In this four part series COPAA members share with participants current issues in special education advocacy. The first session is an overview of the current political and legal climate affecting special education advocacy under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. More |
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COPAA Commends Introduction of Bill Restricting Use of Aversive Interventions, Restraint, and Seclusion in Schools. U.S. Representatives George Miller (D-CA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) today introduced H.R. 4247, Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act, to address issues of Restraint and Seclusion in schools. The legislation sets forth minimum protection standards for educational programs which receive federal funding. U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) introduced companion legislation in the Senate. More |
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COPAA applauds the Department of Education’s proposed changes and expansions to the Civil Rights Data Collection (CDRC) and urges further clarification and expansion of categories under Restraint and Seclusion. More |
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COPAA, along with the Education Law Center of New Jersey, submits an amicus brief in A.G. v. Wissahickon Sch. District to address the particular importance of providing education to all children – including children with disabilities – in the least restrictive environment, the general education classroom. More |
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Expert Witness Fees. Support the IDEA Fairness Restoration Act, H.R. 2740. It will allow prevailing parents to recover their expert witness costs in due process and litigation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This bill will help level the playing field for parents of children with disabilities, most of whom cannot afford to pay thousands of dollars for expert witnesses. More |
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COPAA releases report Unsafe In The Schoolhouse: Abuse Of Children With Disabilities asking Congress to stop the use of restraints, seclusion, and aversives upon children with disabilities in school. COPAA also submitted a letter for the record to the House Education Committee as part of its hearings on Examining the Abusive and Deadly Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Schools. More
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COPAA Releases Voluntary Code of Ethics for Special Education Advocates. The purpose of this Voluntary Code of Ethics for Special Education Advocates is to provide a set of principles which Special Education Advocate members of COPAA can use as a guide for their work, conduct, and decision making. This Code is voluntary and is intended only as a guide. |
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The 11th Annual COPAA Conference, hosted in our Nation’s capital, on March 5-8, 2009 was a great success. Purchase audio files and the conference materials. |
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Visit COPAA's
new Public Policy Action Center with tools to contact Congress
and read major policy objectives. |
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COPAA Webinar Series. COPAA Webinars, arranged by the COPAA Training Committee, are scheduled throughout the year. Webinars are of most interest to attorneys and advocates who represent students with disabilities, as well as parents (individuals who have a family member with a disability and do not receive any income for advocacy efforts on behalf of students with disabilities).More |
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Amicus Requests: COPAA welcomes requests
for Amicus Briefs for cases that present an issue or issues consistent with our mission statement, have a precedent setting value and affect the educational welfare of school age children with disabilities. |
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IDEA 2004: IDEA
2004 information and resources, including the statute, complete
legislative history, regulations, comparison of IDEA 2004 and IDEA
'97, and more are available. |
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Find State regulations and due process hearing decisions here. COPAA also offers guidance for advocacy on State regulations implementing IDEA 2004 More |
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COPAA’s advice on how to find
special education advocates and special education attorneys to represent students with disabilities. |
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(*PDFs require Acrobat Reader
for viewing. If you don't have Acrobat Reader installed on your
computer, you can download
a copy for free.) |
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