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.
