Part One: In-person Charter Schools and Disappearing IEPs Jean Murrell Adams, Esq. July 2026 When parents of children with IEPs choose a charter school, they’re looking for a better education for their child. Smaller classes, a safer environment, more individual attention and a fresh start. Many parents find exactly that. But others discover something they never expected: their child’s IEP slowly begins to disappear. At ADAMS ESQ, we represent families across California and Nevada who are fighting to get appropriate education and services for their

Del Rechazo Contundente a las Expulsiones Suaves Escrita por Jean Murrell Adams, Esq. • Junio 2026 En ADAMS ESQ, representamos a familias que luchan arduamente para conseguir IEPs adecuados para sus hijos con discapacidad. Últimamente, estamos observando una tendencia preocupante en los distritos escolares y las escuelas chárter de California y Nevada. Estan desplazando a las familias. Esto no ocurre mediante audiencias formales de expulsión, determinaciones de manifestación ni tácticas que puedan señalarse fácilmente por escrito. Usted podría pensar que esto solo le sucede a

Hard Pushback to Soft Expulsions By Jean Murrell Adams, Esq. • June 2026 At ADAMS ESQ, we represent families who are fighting hard to get appropriate IEPs for their children with disabilities. Lately, we are seeing a troubling pattern playing out across California and Nevada school districts and charter schools. Families are being pushed out. Not through formal expulsion hearings, manifestation determinations or tactics you could easily point to in writing. You think it’s just happening to your family—but children with disabilities are being systematically

By Jean Murrell Adams, Esq. • April 2026 The U.S. Department of War (formerly, the Department of Defense) just updated its special education policy to align with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). If you are a military parent and have a child with a disability, there are important changes that you need to understand. What Is DoWEA AI 2500.15? On April 6, 2026, the DoWEA (“War Department”) approved the DoWEA Administrative Instruction 2500.15, a comprehensive special education compliance policy that takes effect July 1,

By Jean Murrell Adams, Esq. • March 2026 Picture this: you arrive at your child’s IEP meeting, ready to talk about everything that matters to you—goals, services, supports. You barely finish introductions when the school starts hustling through the agenda. Forty-five minutes later, someone is already wrapping up. Your questions? Still unanswered. Your concerns? Still unaddressed. And your child’s plan for the next year? Decided—or worse, deferred to yet another meeting—without your meaningful input. Welcome to the IEP “Drive-Thru.” At ADAMS ESQ, we’re hearing this

Donde esta el FAPE? Febrero 2026 Jean Murrell Adams, Esq. ¿Recuerdan el viejo anuncio de comida rápida “¿Dónde está la carne?“, aquel con las curiosas señoras mayores mirando un pan gigante, buscando una hamburguesa diminuta? Era adorable. Pero lo que vemos ahora en ADAMS ESQ es todo menos adorable: los verdaderos servicios de educación especial se están reduciendo y, en algunos casos, desapareciendo, camuflados en IEPs inflados y confusos. Y los niños con discapacidad que necesitan esas colocaciones y servicios son quienes pagan el precio.

Remember the old “Where’s the beef?” fast-food commercial—the one with the quaint elderly ladies peering into a giant bun, searching for a tiny hamburger? It was adorable. But what we’re now seeing at ADAMS ESQ is anything but cute: real special education services are shrinking and, in some cases, disappearing—camouflaged inside bloated, confusing IEPs. And the children with disabilities who need those placements and services are the ones paying the price. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. §1400 et seq. guarantees qualifying

Lo Que Todos Padres Deben Saber Sobre la Nueva Realidad Migratoria Escrita por: Jean Murrell Adams, Esq. Enero 2026 “[Los niños con discapacidad] están en peligro porque sus reacciones podrían literalmente costarles la vida.”   Liam Conejo Ramos, un niño de cinco años que estudia en la escuela primaria Valley View Elementary, fue capturado y detenido en Minnesota. Al momento de redactar este texto, el pequeño Liam permanece encarcelado en Texas. Fotografía: Columbia Heights Public Schools/AFP/Getty Images El Alcance del Problema Todos hemos leído sobre el

  What Every Parent Should Know About the New Immigration Reality By Jean Murrell Adams, Esq. January 2026 “Children with disabilities are in danger because their responses could literally end their lives.” Our New Reality We’ve all read about five-year-old preschooler Liam Conejo Ramos, who was captured and detained in Minnesota and remains imprisoned in a Texas facility with his dad. How do these captures and detentions impact families and what can parents do to protect their children, including those with IEPs? Approximately 133,000 undocumented