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What is COPAA?
The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. (COPAA) is an independent, nonprofit, §501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization of attorneys, advocates and parents. Our primary mission is to secure high quality educational services for children with disabilities.
COPAA is premised on the belief that the key to effective educational programs for children with disabilities is collaboration -as equals- by parents and educators.
Learn More |
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COPAA urges members to protest and boycott the DreamWorks film "Tropic Thunder," by and staring Ben Stiller due for release August 13, 2008. COPAA is part of a national coalition concerned with film because of the use of the "r" word and inclusion of a satire about people with intellectual disabilities. More |
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COPAA issues Declaration of Principles Opposing the Use of Restraints, Seclusion, and Aversive Interventions upon Children with Disabilities. COPAA believes that no child with a disability should be subjected to neglect, abuse, or risk of death in the name of treatment or under the guise of providing educational or therapeutic services, regardless of the setting. More |
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COPAA ISSUES REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS for the 11th Annual Conference to be held in Washington, D.C., March 5-8, 2009 at the Capital Hilton. More |
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On July 28, 2008 COPAA submitted comments on IDEA NPRM. Among other concerns COPAA strongly urges the Department to withdraw the proposed regulation that would allow states to decide if non-attorneys can represent parents in due process hearings. More |
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Support the IDEA Fairness Restoration Act! H.R. 4188 restores to parents the right to recoup expert witness fees when they prevail in a hearing because the school district violated the IDEA. The bill restores Congress' original intent in 1986. Few parents can afford the thousands of dollars needed to hire expert witnesses. More |
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COPAA is pleased to collaborate with TASH as an outreach partner for the Breakthrough in Inclusive Education Awards. The Awards honor important and courageous contributions of individuals and school districts in advancing inclusive education and equitable opportunities for students pre-school through 12th grade, particularly those with the most significant disabilities and support needs. Applications are due September 20, 2008. More |
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COPAA celebrated its 10th anniversary in March! Thank you all for this wonderful decade. We have created a webpage in honor of this special occasion. More |
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COPAA creates the Stan Appell-Jean Alpert Restraints and Abuse Education Fund, to assist practitioners in combating restraints, seclusion, and abuse of children with disabilities. Learn more about the fund, or make a donation. More |
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Amicus Requests: COPAA welcomes requests for Amicus Briefs for cases that present an issue or issues consistent with our mission statement, have a precedent setting value and affect the educational welfare of school age children with disabilities. More |
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Recent COPAA Amicus Activities: including briefs filed with the United States Supreme Court in Schaffer v. Weast, Arlington C.S.D. v. Murphy, Winkelman v. Parma City School District, and Board of Educ. of New York v. Tom F. More |
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IDEA 2004: IDEA 2004 information and resources, including the statute, complete legislative history, regulations, comparison of IDEA 2004 and IDEA '97, and more are available here. |
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Find State regulations and due process hearing decisions here. COPAA also offers guidance for advocacy on State regulations implementing IDEA 2004 More |
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For information about how to find special education advocates and special education attorneys to represent students with disabilities, click here. |
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