The Drake University School of Education will host a day-long conference on legal developments in the field of special education. The conference, part of the James McMahon Institute Lecture Series at Drake, provides valuable information for special education teachers, school principles, district superintendents, parents of children with disabilities, and other attendees who wish to strengthen the educational opportunities of children in Iowa schools.
“Legal Developments in Special Education” will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, on the upper level of Drake’s Olmsted Center, 2875 University Ave. Registration is available online until Wednesday, Feb. 8. Tickets are $50, including the cost of continental breakfast and lunch.
Professor Mitch Yell, the Fred and Francis Lester Palmetto Chair of Teacher Education at the University of South Carolina, will provide updates on recent legislative policies and special education rulings at the state and national levels. 
Breakout sessions will focus on topics including early dispute resolution, avoiding errors in IEP development, review of recent court findings, and summaries of topical “Dear Colleague” letters from the U.S. Department of Education. Sessions will be hosted by Iowa special education and disability legal experts including Nathan Kirstein, attorney at Disability Rights Iowa; and Thomas Mayes, attorney for the Iowa Department of Education.
For more information about the conference or registration, contact Michael Couvillon at michael.couvillon@drake.edu.
The James McMahon Institute is facilitated by Drake’s Special Education Program and made possible by a generous gift from Noreen Barkema.