Center for Children's Advocacy
Eileen Brennan
ebrennan@cca-ct.org
860-570-5327
Legal Practice Area:
Juvenile Justice and Truancy Intervention
Why is this assistance important to these clients?
These youth have no other advocates to speak up for them and enforce their legal rights.
What legal problem do these clients face?
Often have been unidentified as special education students; districts have violated Child Find requirements.
What legal strategies do the pro bono lawyers use to assist the clients?
Administrative advocacy; administrative complaints with the State Dept. of Education.
What are the outcome goals of this assistance?
Educational achievement.
Give a short (1-paragraph) case example:
Johnny is 12 and is in foster care. He is failing all his courses and did poorly on the mastery tests, in part because he has been moving from school system to school system as he bounces between residentials, group homes and foster homes. No school system has properly identified him or given him what he is legally entitled to.