Complaints and Other Advocacy Tools to Protect Your Child's Special Education Rights
Complaints and Other Advocacy Tools to Protect Your Child's Special Education Rights
Join us for a live webinar
This webinar is part of a monthly series hosted by the Advocacy and Community Engagement (ACE) Team. The series explores a wide range of topics, from tools to support school-aged children with disabilities to resources that help adults navigate employment and public benefits. Each session is guided by direct feedback from community partners, ensuring the webinars address the issues they consider most important.
Disclaimer: The following presentation is meant for education only and does not constitute legal advice nor counsel. Your situation may be unique and require careful attention.
Keep in mind that the information in these slides could become out of date, as the laws and local practices relating to these matters are constantly developing.
Note: We may cancel or reschedule workshops based on enrollment levels. We may adjust dates and times to accommodate participant availability and ensure optimal group dynamics.
When:
Thursday, August 20, 2026
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Pacific Time
This event will also be offered in Spanish on August 18, 2026.
Click here to register for the Spanish event.
About the webinar:
This training explains three important tools parents and guardians can use to protect their child’s special education rights: compliance complaints, due process hearings, and civil rights complaints. These are legal steps you can take when a school district fails to follow special education laws or when there’s a disagreement about your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP), and/or your child’s civil rights have been violated.
What you’ll learn in this training:
- The difference between a compliance complaint, a due process complaint and a civil rights complaint;
- When to file a compliance complaint (e.g., the school isn’t following the IEP or legal procedures);
- When to file a due process complaint (e.g., disagreements about services, placement, or eligibility);
- How a due process hearing works, including presenting your case to an impartial hearing officer or administrative law judge; and
- Your rights under special education law and how to advocate effectively for your child, and
- A civil rights complaint is filed when your child’s civil rights have been violated.
Presenter:
Mary Rios (she, her ella) is a Senior Specialist at DRC, she has been an advocate for over 25 years. Mary is an individual with a disability her passion is informing and educating people with disabilities about their rights and empowering individuals with disabilities to become self-advocates.
Maricruz Magdaleno works as a Senior Advocate for Disability Rights California for the past 12 years, focusing on areas related to special education, the department rehabilitation and the regional center services.
