Ep 52: Advocating for your student’s needs at school with civil rights attorneys Vickie Brett & Amanda Selogie

School can be a challenge for kids who learn differently, have special needs, or have behavioral issues. My guests, Vickie Brett and Amanda Selogie, attorneys who specialize in specific civil rights issues on behalf of children living with special needs, discuss the challenges families can face in advocating for their children within the school system and the importance of creating an individualized plan for a student’s education plan. We also discuss mental health at school, including how anxiety or depression can present in the school setting, how it affects learning, and the importance of developing a solution to the root cause of an issue a student is facing rather than the behavioral symptom.

About the Guest:

Amanda Selogie & Vickie Brett are co-founders of Selogie & Brett LLP, a boutique civil rights litigation firm specializing in specific civil rights issues on behalf of children living with special needs, as well as co-founders of the Inclusive Education Project, a legal advocacy 501(c)3 non-profit, focused on educating families on their legal rights to their child’s education and providing pro-bono legal aide to low income families in California. They are also hosts of the Inclusive Education Project Podcast, where Amanda and Vickie offer a fresh, smart perspective on what it takes to truly make our educational systems and communities inclusive. And as if that weren’t enough, they are both mothers navigating the world of work and life like the rest of us.

Amanda Selogie received a degree in Child and Adolescent Development, specializing in Education from California State University, Northridge and a Juris Doctorate from Whittier Law School. While at WLS, Amanda was a Fellow in the prestigious Center for Children's Rights Fellowship Program, served in the school's pro-bono Special Education Legal Clinic, and as Research Editor of the Journal of Child and Family Advocacy. 

​Amanda immersed herself in the world of civil rights and educational advocacy as a supervising attorney for UCI Law School's Education Rights Pro-bono project, and being appointed to the Orange County Child Care and Development Planning Council where she is currently serving on their Inclusion Collaborative Committee and outside of work, where she serves as a coach to an AYSO VIP (Very Important Player) program where she not only coaches players living with disabilities but has established an inclusive program with typical peers and mainstream teams. 

​Vickie Brett was born and raised in Southern California. Vickie attended UC Riverside and received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Philosophy before becoming a very active Whittier Law School student and alumnus. 

​Because Vickie is bilingual, she represents and empowers many monolingual Spanish-speaking families living in Southern California. Moreover, she is a dedicated pro bono attorney for Public Law Center, the Alliance for Children’s Rights, and the Superior Court of Los Angeles’s Juvenile and Dependency 317(e) Panel. Most recently Vickie became a supervisor for the UCI Law School’s Pro Bono Special Education Law Project. 

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Learn more about Amanda and Vickie’s work at:

Website: www.inclusiveeducationproject.org

Instagram: @inclusiveeducationproject

Facebook: @iepcalifornia

About the Host

Janice Scholl helps moms navigate the money and career transitions that come with the different stages of motherhood through her work as coach, speaker, workshop facilitator, and host of The Money, Career & Motherhood Podcast. Janice is passionate about helping mothers gain confidence and understanding about money, career & business topics as they relate to motherhood and family – the way many women actually think about money.  Her key areas of focus to help mothers succeed are navigating maternity leave, career breaks & transitions, and  values-based budgeting.

Sign up for a FREE 30-minute strategy session with Janice here.

Visit the Money, Career, & Motherhood website, Facebook page, Facebook group, or on Instagram.

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