NPR Interviews Lisa Rollins

Listen to Lisa Rollins as she in interviewed by NPR’s Morning Edition.

Parents Have a Choice

Special Education Law

All public schools are required to design and implement and IEP (Individualized Education Program) for every child requiring special education services. This is the law. Unfortunately, parents are frequently unaware of their child’s rights in terms of education and services by schools. If a child’s needs are not being met, and a conflict occurs between parents and the school, a due process hearing may be an appropriate step.

Sometimes schools fail to create of implement an appropriate IE based on a child’s individual needs. Special needs children are often inappropriately placed in improper classes, punished, arrested and/or imprisoned for behaviors manifested by their disability. The law requires that the IEP takes into account any behavioral factors that impede the child’s learning or the learning of the other children.
For special needs parent, Lisa H. Rollins, advocating for children with special needs is a lifelong calling. Serving the entire state, she understands the system and is a voice for children and their families. She knows how schools work, what services are available to special needs children and how the laws apply to them. No none is better able to provide resources and suggestions for student success.

A Few Facts

• Special Education classes serve almost 15% of all children in grades 1-12 in South Carolina
• 12% of the 9-17 year olds in the state are seriously emotionally disturbed with a substantial functional impairment; 8% have an extreme functional impairment during the course of any given year
• 70% of children in the American juvenile justice system suffer from educational disabilities. Less that a third of them have been diagnosed when incarcerated
• 72% of children incarcerated in South Carolina meet the full criteria for at least on mental disorder diagnosis