Hayley Lampkin Blyth, Director of the Education Advocacy Program

Meet Hayley Lampkin Blyth, Director of the Children’s Law Center’s Education Advocacy Program. Hayley joins us from the Council for Children’s Rights in Charlotte, where she served as a staff attorney in the Education Law Program. Hayley has spent her entire career working in education law.

Here is Hayley’s vision for the program, “Every student has a right to a quality, equitable education and all students deserve to be listened to. As an advocate for students, I see myself as a teammate for students who often feel pushed aside and pushed out. Any action that excludes a student from their usual educational setting has the potential to have a negative impact on that student. We know that suspensions are associated with negative student outcomes, such as lower academic performance, higher rates of school dropout, and higher rates of further disciplinary exclusion. We also know that suspensions have a disproportionate impact on students with disabilities and students of color. Given this harm, the EAP wants to empower students and families with knowledge about their legal rights, so that they can advocate for themselves more effectively.”