Why I built this site

James A. Lester

I’m James Lester, a special education attorney who represents children and parents.

I created this site because there was a need for it.

Manifestation determinations can be one of the most unfair procedures in the entire educational system.  There is a great deal at stake, yet parents are given little information about the procedure or how to respond to it.  And the whole process happens very quickly, leaving parents little time to figure it out or prepare.

On top of all that, schools often make mistakes in conducting manifestation determinations, and those mistakes tend to work against the child.  Parents need to know enough about the procedure to recognize these mistakes and help the school correct them for the child’s sake.

So I created this site to be a one-stop go-to place for parents facing a manifestation determination.   It’s loaded with the information parents need in this situation, all quickly accessible.

And to the extent possible, I’ve tried to explain everything in everyday language, not legal babble.  Because information is useless if you can’t understand it.

I hope this site is helpful to you, and I wish you the best of luck with your manifestation determination.  Parents win these all the time, and you can too.

A little about me

I’ve been practicing special education law for more than 10 years.  I’m also the parent of a child with autism who receives special education services, which is how I got involved in special education in the first place. For more information about me, you can visit my law office website.

If you’re here to learn about manifestation determinations, you should start with the article What Is A Manifestation Determination? It’s a good introductory article that will help you get your bearings quickly.