SJP Presents at the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) 2026 National Conference 03.07.26
In March, SJP Deputy Director Tayo Belle and Senior Staff Attorney Rachel Goodman presented at the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) 2026 National Conference. COPAA's annual conference is a multi-day event that brings together advocates, attorneys, parents, and professionals committed to educational equity for students with disabilities. SJP's presentation, titled "Side-by-Side: A Practical Approach for Special Education Attorneys Working with Criminal Defense Attorneys in Family and Criminal Court," was co-presented with criminal defense attorney D.D. Davis, who represents young people in both DC and Maryland.
The session provided attendees with a practical roadmap for how special education attorneys can collaborate with criminal defense counsel to achieve better outcomes for court-involved young people with disabilities. The session helped attendees identify opportunities throughout a criminal case where a special education attorney can support the defense attorney, from strengthening pretrial release arguments and informing plea negotiations to developing powerful mitigation for sentencing rooted in a client's disability and education history. A central theme of the presentation was that education attorneys can play a pivotal role in helping judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys understand how a client's unmet special education needs contributed to their court involvement and how appropriate education services can promote rehabilitation. Tayo and Rachel also submitted a white paper to the conference exploring these topics in greater depth, providing a resource for education attorneys looking to represent court-involved clients alongside defense counsel in their own jurisdictions.
In addition to the presentation, SJP's case-carrying attorneys attended the conference and participated in a wide range of sessions on issues relevant to SJP's practice. The team left the conference feeling energized and inspired to continue fighting for the educational rights of SJP's clients.
