Education / School Law including Maryland Special education law

Suspension & Expulsion

Has your child returned home with a letter that they are being suspended or expelled from school? What should you do? Who should you talk to and what should you say? These are difficult times in a family’s life and Blackford & Flohr is ready and experienced to help you and your child through it.

The highest court in our land declared in Goss v. Lopez, 419 U.S. 565 (1975) that United States Constitution guarantees important due process rights even where the student suspension is only temporary.

Blackford & Flohr will provide a Maryland lawyer who is helpful in student discipline cases by providing the negotiating and advocacy skills necessary to protect all of your child’s rights. The timeline for most initial phases of a student discipline case is very short. Important decisions about investigation and presentation must be made quickly.

Our Severna Park based law firm is available for conferences at the school, appeals to both the County Board and the Maryland State Board of Education.

In certain cases, our firm may also provide consultation to prepare parents and students to represent themselves in a school discipline hearing.

Special Education of Children in Maryland and the surrounding areas

What if your child is struggling in school and still not succeeding? Under both Federal and Maryland law, your child is entitled to the same quality of education as any other student. The attorneys at Blackford & Flohr are here to help make sure of it.

There are many rights each student has under both the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Maryland law. Some of the recognized disabilities include: autism, blindness, hearing impairment, emotional disturbance, mental retardation, orthopedic impairments, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), speech or language impairment, and brain injury.

Blackford & Flohr, LLC is available to consult with parents and their children in cases of Individual Education (IEP) Plans, 504 Plans (Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. §794), and “Manifestation Hearings” in connection with student discipline cases. We also are available to help facilitate mediation between the parties, upon request.

Blackford & Flohr also provides General practice law, a Towson Criminal defense attorney, or a Maryland criminal defense lawyer.