Lumen Advocacy LLC

05/23/2026

🚨 Too many absences? Your child may still have options for graduation.

If your child has missed school because of illness, disability-related needs, mental health struggles, or life circumstances, don’t assume they’ve lost their chance to graduate on time.

Many parents don’t realize schools may offer:
✅ Attendance recovery plans
✅ Credit recovery options
✅ Credit by exam
✅ Summer classes
✅ Online or hybrid learning
✅ Special education/ARD supports

Before you panic about lost credits, read this. You may have more options than you think.

📚 Read our newest parent guide: “Too Many Absences? Your Child Still Has a Path Forward”

What questions do you have about graduation, attendance, or credit recovery? Drop them below 👇

There are more options for making up schoolwork than you realize.

05/08/2026

Missed services. Unmet goals. Vague progress reports. Before summer starts, parents of children with IEPs have one of the strongest opportunities of the year to advocate for meaningful change.

This newsletter breaks down:
✅ How to turn concerns into a documented paper trail
✅ When to request compensatory services
✅ Mediation vs. state complaints vs. due process
✅ Why timing before summer matters
✅ How to protect your rights if considering private placement

Your child’s “punch list” is not the end of the year — it’s the starting point for stronger support next year.

Read: “When the Punch List Becomes Power: Inflating Your Advocacy Balloon Before Summer” 🎈

Turn your child’s end-of-year IEP “punch list” into a powerful advocacy plan. Learn how to request meetings, compensatory services, mediation, and access legal protections before summer in Texas.

04/02/2026

📣 Parents of students with disabilities… we’re in the FINAL stretch—about 30 school days left.
If you’re feeling tired, overwhelmed, or unsure if everything is “in place” for your child before the year ends… you are NOT alone. ❤️
But here’s something important to remember right now:
👉 Review The Notice of Procedural Safeguards!
As the school year wraps up, this is a powerful time to:
✔️ Review your child’s progress (not just grades—services too)
✔️ Ask questions about goals that weren’t met
✔️ Start thinking about next year’s supports NOW
✔️ Make sure evaluations truly reflect your child’s needs
So if something doesn’t feel right… trust that instinct.
Ask the question. Send the email. Request the meeting.
💬 If you could use support or aren’t sure what to ask before the year ends, drop a comment or message me. Let’s make these last 30 days count.

Empower yourself as a parent navigating special education in Texas. This guide breaks down procedural safeguards, your legal rights under IDEA, and the hidden power of Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), so you can confidently advocate for your child’s success, protection, and future.

02/26/2026

Check out this podcast if you have a 2e child.

How do we serve students who are years beyond grade level and experiencing the world differently because of it?

In this podcast episode, Blake Haygood shares his journey from math teacher to advanced academics leader, along with personal insights as the parent of a profoundly gifted child. The conversation covers acceleration, cluster grouping, SEL for gifted learners, and the importance of strong professional networks.

An honest and practical look at what it takes to support profoundly gifted students well.

Listen here: https://buff.ly/vIYzklW

02/26/2026

I’m presenting at COPAA on Sunday, March 8th. If you can’t join us, you can buy a recording of the main conference. It’s going to be a good one!

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https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DxVepAD7w/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Advocacy Under Pressure: Mastering Communication in Contentious IEP Meetings
Presenter: Virginia Spencer

Brief Session Description:
This training equips participants to navigate IEP meeting conflicts using interest-based negotiation, emotional awareness, and active listening. Drawing from Harvard Negotiation Project principles and co-active coaching, it emphasizes collaboration, trust-building, and student-centered solutions. Through case studies and practical tools, attendees learn to manage tensions, clarify misunderstandings, and foster productive dialogue between themselves and educators for improved student outcomes.

For additional information and to register now, please visit our website. https://www.copaa.org/page/2026-conference-register



ALT - Promotional graphic for the COPAA 28th Annual Conference. Presentation title and featuring headshots of Presenter(s) and their names. Event details include Crystal Gateway Marriott, VA, March 3–8, 2026, with COPAA branding and a U.S. Capitol illustration in the background.

02/11/2026

Regression isn’t just frustrating. For some children, it can be dangerous. A recent federal appellate court decision reinforced something parents have long known:
✅ Behavioral skills are educational needs
✅ Academic progress alone isn’t enough
✅ ESY services aren’t optional when regression is proven

Can school breaks trigger dangerous regression for children with disabilities? Learn how behavioral regression, toileting setbacks, and elopement risks impact ESY eligibility under IDEA. Clear explanations and practical advocacy tips to help parents secure Extended School Year services and protect t...

01/27/2026

Considering Texas TEFA for your child with an IEP? Read this first.

Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) promise more school choice, but for students with IEPs, that choice can come with serious trade-offs, including losing special education protections and guaranteed services.

We put together a clear, parent-friendly breakdown of what TEFA really means for families of students with disabilities.

⏱️ **2-minute read**
🎁 **Includes a FREE downloadable ebook:**

Texas TEFA offers school choice, but families with IEPs may lose special education rights, face service gaps, deadlines, and funding uncertainty. What does this program offer families of students with disabilities?

01/25/2026

Want to know what a disability might feel like?

01/25/2026

Your input is needed!
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Special Education Funding Update: House Bill 2 introduces a new special education funding model that aligns resources with the type and amount of services each student needs, rather than being based on instructional settings. The Texas Education Agency is seeking your input to help inform the service tiers that will guide this model. Take the survey by February 5, 2026: bit.ly/4jSbALl

01/02/2026