2024 Session #4: School Discipline – Know Your Rights
February 15, 2024
Did you know that all school-aged children have the right to a public education under the Arizona constitution? Or that access to an education is considered a property interest and entitles you to due process under the 14th Amendment? Did you know that even though students with disabilities can be disciplined at school, they cannot be long-term suspended or expelled for behavior that is related to their disability? Students of color and students with disabilities experience school discipline at rates far higher than their share of total student enrollment, leading to increased interaction with law enforcement and negative long-term outcomes for children and their communities. In this workshop, we will discuss students’ legal rights when it comes to school discipline. We will provide information, tools, and complaint options to help students and their families address disproportionate disciplinary practices in schools.
Presenters:
Diana Newmark, Associate Clinical Professor of Law at the University of Arizona
Diana Newmark is an Associate Clinical Professor of Law at the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law, where she directs the Education Advocacy Clinic. Professor Newmark previously was a Climenko Fellow and Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. Prior to that, she was a staff attorney at the Children’s Law Center in Washington, D.C. She also served as a Skadden Fellow at The Legal Aid Society in the Bronx, New York, where she represented court-involved children in school discipline and special education matters. Professor Newmark received her JD, cum laude, from New York University School of Law and BA in philosophy from Columbia University. Before attending law school, she taught special education for four years in the Bronx, New York. In addition to her work at the University of Arizona, Professor Newmark sits on the board of directors of the Arizona Center for Disability Law.
Amanda Glass, Education Team Managing Attorney at Disability Rights Arizona, formerly Arizona Center for Disability Law
Amanda Glass is the Education Team Managing Attorney at the Disablity Rights Arizona (DRAZ). Amanda began her legal career at DRAZ as an Equal Justice Works Fellow with a fellowship project focused on improving access to special education and mental health services for children affected by Arizona’s foster care system. Amanda has continued that work over the last five years in her subsequent roles at DRAZ as staff attorney and managing attorney. Amanda is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Prior to attending law school, Amanda earned her master’s degree in special education and spent two years as an elementary school special education teacher in Los Angeles through Teach for America.