Legal Council Blog
Views expressed in this blog belong to the respective author unless otherwise specified.
Beyond Shame & Stigma
Our sold out panel discussion “HIV Criminalization: Beyond Shame & Stigma,” co-sponsored with our friends at TPAN, was a great success this past Thursday, Feb 15. The expert panel included…
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CPS Special Ed under investigation
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has begun a “Public Inquiry” into CPS’s handling of special education concerns in response to a coordinated effort by Legal Council for Health…
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Client focus: Kenneth
Coming from a chaotic and abusive household–where his mother would abuse him both physically and mentally–Kenneth had few resources. Though he suffered from depression that dated back to his childhood,…
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ISBE can you hear me?
Advocates held a press conference at Chicago’s Thompson Center this morning. Thirteen legal and education groups including Legal Council for Health Justice sent an open letter to the Illinois State…
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New Ways to Combat Lead-Poisoning
In 2015, 10,322 kids in Illinois had elevated lead levels in their blood–and that’s only the kids tested. Many children don’t have access or aren’t eligible for the services necessary…
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Graham-Cassidy
Excerpted from our comments submitted by policy director Carrie Chapman to the Senate Finance Committee Hearing on Graham-Cassidy Bill: If this proposal succeeds, the devastating financial impact on Illinois is clear…
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Thank your local congressperson
Nine hardworking Congresspeople sent a letter demanding answers to charges of discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS by insurance plans. The letter was signed by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL),…
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Special education expose
First in a series of investigative reporting from WBEZ reveals the Chicago Public Schools overhauled special education and relied on a “secret” set of guidelines “that resulted in limiting services…
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Stay-put protections
Governor Rauner signs a bill drafted by Legal Council for Health Justice which clarifies and strengthens the ability of parents and guardians to pursue mediation where there are disagreements with the school about their child’s special education services. In addition to clarifying the process for children to continue to receive special education services during the entire mediation process (called “stay-put protections”), the bill also requires updating of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards for special education that parents must receive. This notice had not been updated since 2009!
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