Education Law and Advocacy

  • Special Education under IDEA and Section 504

  • Dyslexia and literacy advocacy

  • Autism Spectrum/Developmental Disabilities inclusion

  • School refusal/truancy

  • Student discipline and school exclusion

  • ADA accommodations for college students

  • Title IX

  • Civil rights for children with disabilities

  • Juvenile justice

  • Emancipation

The secret of education lies in respecting the student.

——Ralph Waldo Emerson

Amy Phalon, Esq.

I have been advocating for students with disabilities and their families for over two decades. My career in advocacy began in 2002 when, as an instructor at William Patterson University in New Jersey, I met a group of very bright and motivated college students who struggled to read at the college level. I began to delve into research about how reading works in the brain and how most students with reading-related learning difficulties do not receive appropriate evidence-based literacy education in the early grades. I value reading as a fundamental cornerstone of learning and essential to civic engagement.

         The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) gives states and public school districts the funding and the framework to provide students with disabilities the free appropriate public education, or FAPE, they are entitled to. My work is dedicated helping parents exercise their rights and their child’s rights to an appropriate education.

       I handle Special Education cases at all levels from parent education, advocacy at IEP team meetings, due process hearings, judicial review, and federal court appeals. I also handle cases on behalf of students facing disability discrimination in school sports or areas outside of school; students facing racial discrimination in school; disability rights cases involving college students; and cases involving families with disabled children facing housing discrimination. I also represent students in school discipline matters and young people in the juvenile justice system.

     My own education includes a B.A. from Colby College in Maine, an M.A. from Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English in Vermont, and my law degree from the University of Maine School of Law. I also attended the Wrightslaw Special Education Law Institute at William & Mary in Virginia. I am a member of the Council of Parents, Attorneys, and Advocates (COPAA) and the International Dyslexia Association (IDA).


Request a Consultation

  • Advocacy for students with learning disabilities.

  • Free Appropriate Public Education

    Ensure your child has access to the special education and related services that will help them make progress with learning.

  • Juvenile Justice

    Protect the rights of young people.

  • Autism Spectrum Inclusion

    Keep students with developmental disabilities in the classroom

  • School Discipline

    Prevent or minimize the use of exclusionary discipline for students with disabilities.

FAQ

  • We start with a meeting to discuss your child's needs and strengths and what challenges they are facing at school. Next, I will review your child's education records and develop a plan to work with the school to secure appropriate educational services and supports.

    If necessary, the next steps involve holding your child's school accountable through the processes and procedures established by the IDEA and Maine State Special Education Statutes.

    Please contact me to set up an initial meeting.

  • The IDEA or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is the funding statute that provides funds to states to educate students with disabilities. In order to receive funding, state and local education agencies must comply with IDEA's requirements for the provision of FAPE to students with disabilities.