SERVICES

Education Advocacy Program

Children’s Law Center of Central North Carolina’s Education Advocacy Program (EAP) provides free legal advocacy, information, and resources for students and families in Forsyth County to empower them to more effectively advocate for their rights within the education system. EAP serves students with disabilities, students with mental or physical health needs that affect school performance, and students facing suspensions, expulsions, and alternative school placements.

Why Children In Our Community Need Education Advocacy

In the 2022-2023 school year, 14% of school-aged students in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS) had an Individualized Education Program (IEP).

During the 2017-2018 school year, North Carolina’s students with disabilities were more than three times as likely to receive multiple out-of-school suspensions compared to students without disabilities. They were more than twice as likely to be transferred to alternative schools and more than twice as likely to be expelled.

In the 2021-22 school year, 218,621 North Carolina students received an out-of-school suspension. Of those students, 69% were male and 31% were female.

Black students in North Carolina were short-term out-of-school suspended at nearly four times the rate of White students during the 2021-2022 school year. The same year, Black students in North Carolina received more than half of all long-term out-of-school suspensions.

EAP Resources

Disclaimer: The information provided on this website does not constitute legal advice. Instead, all information is provided for general informational purposes only.

Components

EAP has two main components.

  • Held in various locations throughout Forsyth County, Community Workshops are aimed at helping students and families understand their legal rights related to Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Section 504 plans, and suspensions, expulsions, and alternative school placements, as well as providing critical navigation strategies for advocacy within the education system.

    Thursday, March 21, 2024: Rights of Students and Parents in Public Education workshop at Malloy Jordan East Winston Heritage Center, 5:30-7:30PM. Food, music child care, raffles, and more!

  • EAP accepts community referrals from parents and guardians in Forsyth County who may be in need of legal advice or representation* related to:

    • Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)

    • Section 504 plans

    • suspension, expulsion, or alternative school placements

    • bullying

    • disability discrimination

    * EAP cannot guarantee legal representation and is able to accept a limited number of cases for legal representation.

Request EAP Services

Please email EAP@ChildLawNC.org, call 336-831-1909 ext. 205, or fill out the form below.

Since 2005, Children’s Law Center of Central North Carolina has provided children with quality legal advocacy focusing on domestic violence issues, high-conflict custody cases, and the rights of children in public education.