2026 CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION IN EDUCATION AND DISABILITY LAW

Attorneys for Education Rights (“AFER”) is committed to the advancement of education rights for students with disabilities. AFER advocates for legislative and policy change, assists members with their practices in the areas of education and disability law, and increases public awareness of civil rights. This fall AFER is presenting a series of continuing legal education seminars between October 9, 2026, and December 4, 2026. Presentations will be held Fridays from noon to 1:30 pm via a Zoom platform. AFER has applied to the MCLE Board for approval of 1.5 credits of DEI ethics, 1.5 credits of ethics and professional responsibility and 9 credits of law and legal procedure.

The seminar series is being offered as a benefit of membership in AFER. The annual fee for AFER membership is $50. Use this link to sign up for membership/renew membership and to attend the fall 2024 seminar series: https://attorneysforeducationrights.org/join

The $50 annual AFER membership fee entitles members to attend as many of the eight sessions as they choose. Here is the line-up:

Session 1: Friday, October 9, 2026

Differences between Substantive FAPE and Procedural Violations and Why it Matters

David M. Grey, Attorney at Law

A procedural violation alone is not enough to establish denial of FAPE and open the door to a remedy under IDEA. This session explores the differences between procedural and substantive rights under IDEA. Also explained is what is necessary to show a denial of FAPE, which is necessary to obtain relief under IDEA.

Session 2: Friday, October 16, 2026

What Education Lawyers need to know about Family Law

Christopher Rama Rao, Attorney at Law

Beacon Attorneys

Christopher Rao is the Managing Partner for Beacon Attorneys. Christopher has practiced in King County since 1997 and is a former chair of the KCBA Family Law section. He has taught various CLEs on family law and letter-writing. Fun fact: Christopher's law school thesis was a board game. He has since designed two board games which have been published.

Session 3: Friday, October 23, 2026

Caselaw 2025-2026 School Year in Review

Jeannette A. Cohen, MEd, Attorney at Law

Attorney Jeannette Cohen is a founding member of AFER and a former AFER board member. Jeannette will lead us through a review of special education case decisions from last September 2025 through the end of last month, September 2026, focusing on U.S. Supreme Court and Ninth Circuit decisions. The cases reviewed are those that specifically raised issues under the IDEA.

Session 4: Friday, October 30, 2026

Considerations in Accepting Low-Income Clients

Lucy Rollins, Attorney at Law – Northwest Justice Project

Kaya McRuer, Attorney at Law – Northwest Justice Project

Lucy and Kaya will discuss NJP’s screening requirements, how attorneys at that agency assess cases, when they typically offer representation, and when they do not. Attorneys Rollins and McRuer will outline the general challenges and barriers involved in representing low-income clients, such as communication (i.e., no computer, no printer, flip phones), lack of transportation, household mobility, working with clients who have disabilities themselves, and competency issues. AFER has requested 1.5 DEI Ethics credits for this presentation.

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Session 5: Friday, November 6, 2026

Students with ASD exhibiting School Avoidance

Kendra Read, PhD., Vice President of Care Strategy & Delivery at Brightline

Jinju Park, Attorney at Law

According to Washington State’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (“OSPI”), chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 18 or more days of school during a school year. School avoidance is defined as when a child refuses to attend school or has difficulty remaining in school the entire day. A key difference between truancy and school avoidance is that with school avoidance, the student is staying home from school with the parents’ and school district’s knowledge. Clinicians at Seattle Children’s Hospital Autism Clinic, emphasize that school avoidance is a common issue with students with ASD due to the autism/anxiety overlap. Students can be experiencing a lot of physical and emotional distress associated with the idea of attending school. Chronic absenteeism is a signal to educators that a student may be experiencing barriers to attending or engaging in school. The OSPI emphasizes that all absences matter and that chronic absenteeism or school avoidance can signal underlying barriers – such as mental health issues, anxiety, family challenges, or unsafe environments – that need to be addressed before the District files a truancy petition.

Session 6: Friday, November 13, 2026

Diabetes Care in the School Setting

Alan L. Yatvin, Attorney at Law

Alan L. Yatvin chairs the Civil Rights and Special Education Practice Groups of Weir Law Group, a full-service law firm that has offices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and New York. Mr. Yatvin has been a volunteer with the American Diabetes Association since 2004. He was Chair of Legal Advocacy from 2011 – 2013, and a member of the National Board of Directors from 2015-2017. He has collaborated on amicus curiae briefs on behalf of the Association and he has represented persons with diabetes, for example, as counsel for the Association in a class action against the New York City Department of Education on behalf of students with diabetes. Mr. Yatvin is co-author of numerous articles including Diabetes Care in the School Setting, Diabetes Care, October 2024; and Insulin Access and Affordability Working Group: Conclusions and Recommendations, Diabetes Care 2018 May.

Session 7: Friday, November 20, 2026

Ethics for the Special Education Lawyer

Kerri Feeney, MEd, Attorney at Law

Bo Johnson, Attorney at Law

Mary Griffin, Attorney at Law (former NJP)

An interactive session to review scenarios presented by three Parent-side special education lawyers focused on ethical issues encountered in their own practices.

Session 8: Friday, December 4, 2026

Substantially Justified: How to Preserve the Attorney Fees You Deserve While Fighting for a Better Settlement

Lori Kirsch-Goodwin, Attorney at Law

Kirsch-Goodwin & Kirsch

Rejecting an offer to settle a due process case can be daunting. You have to be confident the hearing result will be better than the offer or the attorney’s fees will be limited or denied. But the “substantial justification” exception is another option. This presentation reviews caselaw about this exception to provide another consideration in negotiating with the school district.

Commonly Asked Questions:

1. Does AFER record the Friday sessions so that I can watch them at a different time?

No. AFER strives to create a safe space for discussion and interaction. Therefore, the sessions are not recorded.

2. May I record the sessions myself?

No. We want the sessions to be as interactive as possible. We encourage attendees to keep their cameras on, to ask the presenters questions, and to interact with their colleagues as much as possible. This is a way for you to get to know each other and to bounce questions off of a larger group of practitioners. In keeping with our goal of creating a safe space where attorneys can learn new skills, when you sign up for membership, you are agreeing to respect the privacy of other AFER members, which includes case discussions that occur during the seminar series.

3. Is closed captioning available?

Yes. The moderator will enable closed captioning so viewers can elect to have subtitles displayed on their personal computer.

4. Do I have to apply for or submit the Continuing Legal Education credits myself?

No. If you are licensed in Washington State, we will record/ submit credits for you after each weekly presentation. Members will only receive credit for presentations they attend. If you have other questions, feel free to reach out to me, the current AFER Education Director, at the contact email below: Kerri W. Feeney, MEd, Attorney at Law kerri@feeneylaw.net