Education Advocacy Program Community Workshops
Hayley Lampkin Blyth, EAP Director, and Leah Powell, EAP Legal Assistant
As announced in the Spring Newsletter, May was the launch of our newest program, the Education Advocacy Program (EAP) in Forsyth County. EAP provides free legal advocacy, information, and resources for students and families in Forsyth County to empower them to advocate for their rights more effectively within the education system.
A major component of the program is community workshops. These workshops are held in various locations throughout Forsyth County and are aimed at helping students and families understand their legal rights related to special education, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Section 504 (accommodations for students with disabilities), suspensions, expulsions, and alternative school placements, and critical navigation strategies for advocacy within the education system. Our hope is to equip students and parents with the knowledge and understanding of the system and its processes so that they can advocate for themselves and their rights when it comes to these topics. These workshops will be out in the community at various locations to help mitigate transportation barriers and grant easier access to members of the community.
May 23rd marked our first community workshop. This workshop was held in partnership with Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods at The Saltbox in Winston-Salem. EAP Director Hayley Lampkin Blyth spoke to a full room of over 20 individuals on the topic of school discipline and was available after the workshop for one-on-one questions. We would like to thank Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods for their commitment to our community and their partnership in our inaugural community workshop.
More workshops are already being planned for the fall. We plan to hold workshops on various topics across Forsyth County during the 2023-24 school year. Community workshops are free of charge and open to all. For an up-to-date list of upcoming workshops and more information on the EAP please visit Education Advocacy Program page of our website at www.childlawnc.org.