Education Advocacy Program

At the Children’s Law Center, we aim to ensure that all students in Colorado—especially those who have experienced trauma or instability—are able to access appropriate educational services and reach their full potential. 

In all cases, our multidisciplinary team works to address our clients’ complex challenges and to protect their rights. In special education cases, we are at the table with our clients’ IEP or 504 teams, advocating for comprehensive evaluations and better programming. In school discipline cases, we challenge suspension and expulsion decisions and exclusionary practices, especially when a district has failed to consider our client’s unique needs and circumstances. In bullying cases, we push districts to implement safety planning and supportive services to address the harms our students have experienced. When matters cannot be resolved at the school-level, we can represent clients in formal administrative proceedings.

We also seek to address systemic barriers to educational equity for students across our state. Our direct representation work serving students often shows us how systems are or are not working well for students, allowing us to then advocate to improve the administration of justice within the education system. We advocate for policies and practices that are trauma-informed and supportive of the unique needs of students. By advocating for improvement in policy and practice, we hope to address the current struggles that our clients are facing and push for systemic change so that future students do not experience the same difficulties.