The ABC’s of Special Education
Date: Aug 12, 2025 9:00 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
Location: New Jersey Law Center, New Brunswick, and Online
Member Price: $179.00
Non-Member Price: $224.00
Section Price: $0.00
Areas of Law: School
Earn up to 4 credits! (More Information)
Keynote
Moderator
- Andrew I. Meltzer, Esq.
- Sussan, Greenwald & Wesler, Cranburyis an associate with Sussan, Greenwald & Wesler in Cranbury, New Jersey, where he focuses his practice in special education law and helps special needs students achieve success in school and life.
Mr. Meltzer is admitted to practice in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and before the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. While clerking in the Education Section of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, he built up a working knowledge of the special education legal framework and the practices at the Office of Administrative Law. He also prosecuted nearly twenty trials as a Certified Legal Intern for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.
Mr. Meltzer received his B.A. from the University of Delaware and his J.D. from Drexel University’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law.
Presenters
- Hannah Argul, Esq.
- Sussan, Greenwald & Wesler, Cranbury
- Athina L. Cornell, Esq.
- Methfessel & Werbel, Edison
- Lori Gaines, Esq.
- Barger & Gaines, Fair Haven
- Vittorio S. LaPira, Esq.
- Fogarty & Hara, Esqs., Fair Lawnis a Partner in Fogarty & Hara in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, where he represents boards of education in areas including labor and employment matters, student discipline matters, special education matters and construction issues, with experience at the trial and appellate levels in both federal and state courts, as well as before the Office of Administrative Law.
Admitted to practice in New Jersey and before the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Mr. LaPira is a member of the American, New Jersey State and Bergen County Bar Associations, and the New Jersey Association of School Attorneys. He has lectured on several topics for his clients and for the New Jersey State Bar Association, the New Jersey School Boards Association, the Bergen County Association of School Business Officials, the Hudson County Social Emotional and Character Development Consortium, and the Hunterdon County Superintendents’ Association. His article, “Getting Sent to the Principal’s Office: An Overview of the Legal and Procedural Issues Governing the Discipline of Students in Public Schools,” appeared in the December 2013 issue of the New Jersey Lawyer Magazine.
Mr. LaPira received his B.A., cum laude, from Boston College and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.
Spend the morning with us and learn everything you need to handle basic special education law matters for your clients. A distinguished panel of the state’s most knowledgeable school board and special education law attorneys will guide you through the territory of special education law. Explore key topics such as the law governing special education, the referral process, the least restrictive environment, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, testing, Individualized Education Programs, evaluations, eligibility and more. You will leave this seminar with the confidence to handle basic special education law in your practice.
Program Agenda:
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9:00 | Welcome - Andrew I. Meltzer, Esq.
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9:05 | The law governing special education - Andrew I. Meltzer, Esq.
- IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) - Athina L. Cornell, Esq. and Andrew I. Meltzer, Esq.
- The players and the language – i.e., child study team, IEP (Individualized Education Program) team, 504 plans - Lori Gaines, Esq. and Vittorio S. LaPira, Esq. -
9:30 | Panel discussion
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9:45 | The referral process and evaluations
- Who has the right to make a referral? Child find, evaluations and eligibility-goals, objectives and who should be there - Lori Gaines, Esq.
- School district evaluations - Athina L. Cornell, Esq.
- Independent evaluations - Vittorio S. LaPira, Esq.
- Private evaluations - Hannah Argul, Esq. -
10:10 | Panel discussion
- What makes a comprehensive evaluation?
- Private vs. independent evaluations -
10:30 | Break
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10:40 | Eligibility - Hannah Argul, Esq.
- Classification
- The 3-prong test -
11:00 | Panel discussion
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11:15 | Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) - Lori Gaines, Esq.; Athina L. Cornell, Esq. and Andrew I. Meltzer, Esq.
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11:30 | Student Discipline under the IDEA
- Suspensions, manifestation determinations, psychiatric clearances - Hannah Argul, Esq. and Vittorio S. LaPira, Esq. -
11:40 | Special education disputes
- Due process hearings, mediations, Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), what does settlement look like, fee arrangements - Athina L. Cornell, Esq.; Lori Gaines, Esq. and Andrew I. Meltzer, Esq. -
12:10 | Panel discussion: learning disputes and settlements through hypotheticals
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12:30 | Final comments
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12:35 | Adjourn
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