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 regarding their rights in public education. EAP serves students with disabilities, including 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 2023-2024 school year, 14.5% of of public-school students in North Carolina, aged 3-21, had an Individualized Education Program (IEP).

During the 2022-2023 school year, North Carolina’s students with disabilities were more than twice as likely to receive short-term suspensions compared to students without disabilities. They were more than twice as likely to be transferred to alternative schools.

In the 2022-2023 school year, there were 247,454 short-term suspensions reported statewide. The total number of short-term suspensions increased by 13.5% compared to the 2021-2022 school year.

Black students in North Carolina were short-term out-of-school suspended at nearly four times the rate of White students during the 2022-2023 school year. The same year, Black students in North Carolina received nearly half of all long-term 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.

  • EAPs Community Workshops aim to help 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 to provide critical navigation strategies for advocacy within the public education system.

    EAP also provides Workshops to Community Partner Organizations to help our Partners understand the educational rights of the children they serve.

    If you are interested in EAP hosting a Community Workshop in your community or for your organization, please contact us at EAP@ChildLawNC.org or 336-831-1909.

  • EAP accepts community referrals from parents and guardians 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

    • public school enrollment

    * Based on geographic and capacity limitations, EAP cannot guarantee legal advice or representation and is able to accept a limited number of cases.

Request EAP Services

Please email EAP@ChildLawNC.org, call 336-831-1909, 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.