DC Bar Foundation Post: What Legal Aid Means for “Back to School” in Crisis
In a “typical” school year, too many DC children and families shoulder the combined burden of racism, poverty, and trauma. They face challenges ranging from lack of access to quality education, unsafe transportation, over-disciplining, food insecurity, and instabilities in housing. But this is no typical school year, and children living in poverty are bearing the brunt of ongoing public health crisis.
Legal aid has the power to change these children’s lives—it’s why Children’s Law Center lawyers, social workers and investigators continue reaching out to every student and family, making sure they have what they need to weather this crisis.
As DC Bar Foundation CEO Kirra L. Jarratt writes in DCBF’s latest blog post:
Lila will begin school this fall with the support she needs. But this strong start wasn’t guaranteed – and it wasn’t always this way.
When COVID-19 closed our schools to in-person learning this spring, Lila was one of thousands of students who struggled to participate in virtual classes because of her learning disabilities. An attorney from our grantee Children’s Law Center advocated to get additional tutoring and an independent education evaluation for Lila. As a new school year begins, she’ll get more 1-to-1 assistance. And her family will be equipped to work with the school for a more appropriate individualized education plan (IEP).