The Law Offices of Caryl Andrea Oberman

New FERPA Regulations Take Effect January 2012

shannon@caryloberman.com — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:08:14 +0000

The U.S. Department of Education enacted new regulations enforcing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) that took effect January 3, 2012. FERPA governs the use and release of educational and personal records in all public K-12 schools and virtually all post-secondary institutions. The new regulations do not change the purposes for which this protected data can be used, but does change who can share such information, particularly with regard to children under six years old.

The new regulations can be found here at the U.S. Government Printing Office. A brief summary of the relevant changes can also be found here.

New IDEA Part C Regulations Released

shannon@caryloberman.com — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:42:00 +0000

The final Part C Regulations on Early Intervention Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities under the IDEA were published in the Federal Register on September 28, 2011. After seven years of comments and considerations, the Department of Education released the regulations and ushered in some new changes for the qualifications, implementation, and delivery of early intervention services to young children with disabilities.

The full text of the regulations is included in our legal resources section (in .pdf format).

Follow this link to read Caryl Oberman’s latest article on the Part C Regulations, highlighting some of the more prominent changes likely to affect parents and children with disabilities entering into the Early Intervention system.

Presentation on Estate Planning, Powers of Attorney, and Guardianship at Partnership for Community Supports

shannon@caryloberman.com — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:23:05 +0000

Lily Yazno-Bartle will discuss practical concerns in estate planning, powers of attorney, and guardianship proceedings at the Partnership for Community Supports in Northeast Philadelphia on Wednesday, December 7, 2011 from 7:00-9:00 PM. She will address the issues that often arise for adults with disabilities affecting eligibility for benefits, the ability to make important life decisions, and the management of estate assets.

The Partnership for Community Supports is a non-profit organization established to provide supports coordination in Philadelphia and surrounding counties for individuals with disabilities. Its goal is to assist individuals and their families in locating needed supports and services within their community and to enable the individual to lead a full and meaningful life. For more information on The Partnership, or if you would like to attend this free seminar, please follow this link to the Partnership website.

Supporting Our Community Through Wills for Heroes

shannon@caryloberman.com — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:41:09 +0000

Lily Yazno-Bartle, Esq. and Maureen Stankiewicz will be volunteering their time and skills to the Wills for Heroes Foundation on November 12, 2011 at Strayer Middle School in Quakertown, PA. Ms. Yazno-Bartle and Ms. Stankiewicz will be volunteering as an attorney and notary public, respectively, to create vital legal documents to protect local Bucks County heroes.

Will for Heroes programs provide essential legal documents free of charge to our nation’s first responders, including wills, living wills, and powers of attorney. By helping first responders plan now, they ensure their family’s legal affairs are in order before tragedy hits. The 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit Wills for Heroes Foundation supports these local Wills programs, giving back to the community and protecting those who protect us. For more information on the Foundation, please visit the Wills for Heroes Website at http://www.willsforheroes.org/.

Caryl Oberman and Lily Yazno-Bartle Present at PBI Exceptional Children Conference

shannon@caryloberman.com — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:35:33 +0000

On October 17, 2011, Caryl Oberman and Lily Yazno-Bartle facilitated presentations at the state’s premier annual meeting of parent and child attorneys, school district attorneys, special education hearing officers, parents, and advocates.

Ms. Oberman co-presented the “Year in Review 2010-2011,” discussing developments in local and national case law, as well as the new Part C regulations and ODR hearing decisions. Along with James Sicks of The Arc Community Trust of Pennsylvania, Ms. Yazno-Bartle co-presented a session dedicated to exploring special needs trusts for families with children with disabilities. For more information on the annual Exceptional Children Conference, visit the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s website here.

Caryl Oberman Named 2011 “Super Lawyer”

shannon@caryloberman.com — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:35:27 +0000

For the fifth time, Caryl A. Oberman has been selected by Philadelphia Magazine as a “Super Lawyer” in the field of Schools and Education Law for 2011. This distinction once again places Caryl Oberman among the top 5% of practicing attorneys in Pennsylvania due to her many years of dedicated service to students with disabilities and their families in Special Education and related matters.

Federal District Court Rules that Half-Day Typical Kindergarten and Half-Day Autistic Support Class Does Not Raise an LRE Issue

admin — Wed, 25 May 2011 16:21:56 +0000

In Lebron v. North Penn School District, ___F. Supp. 2d_____; 56 IDELR Section 72 (E.D. Pa. 2011), the court held that a kindergarten program for a child with autism that provided a half day of regular kindergarten and a half day of placement in a segregated autistic support classroom did not even raise an issue of least restrictive environment, since the child got the same amount of inclusion as all typical kindergarteners in the District. If it survives appeal, the decision will preclude consideration of the unnecessary segregation of kindergarten students with disabilities who need a full-day program, but who are able to benefit from that program in a typical environment.

Session at the Exceptional Children Conference

admin — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 21:48:43 +0000

Caryl Andrea Oberman will be co-presenting a session at the Exceptional Children Conference. Session topic is TBD. Liliana Yazno-Bartle will be co-presenting.

Special Needs Trusts

admin — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 05:45:27 +0000

Liliana Yazno-Bartle will present a session on “Special Needs Trusts“at the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s annual Exceptional Children Conference.

A Guide to Section 504 in Public Schools

admin — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 05:41:33 +0000

Caryl Andrea Oberman will present a session on ”A Guide to Section 504 in Public Schools” for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute.