Mission

The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. (COPAA) is an independent, nonprofit, §501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization of attorneys, special education advocates and parents. COPAA's mission is to be a national voice for special education rights and to promote excellence in advocacy. Our primary goal is to secure high quality educational services for children with disabilities.

COPAA is premised on the belief that the key to effective educational programs for children with disabilities is collaboration -as equals- by parents and educators. This is the premise of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, the federal statutes that guarantee children with disabilities a free, appropriate public education.

COPAA was formed in 1998 and works to:

• Enable parents to work more effectively with school personnel to plan and obtain effective educational programs for their children with disabilities;


• Encourage more attorneys and advocates to undertake representation of parents of children with disabilities in their efforts to plan and obtain effective educational programs;


• Provide advocate, attorney, parent and other professional COPAA members with the practical resources and information they need to obtain effective educational programs for students with disabilities;


• Enable members to network and share information and legal resources;


• Provide training for lay advocates on all aspects of special education advocacy and informal conflict resolution;


• Provide training for attorneys on legal practice: including due process, litigation, and informal conflict resolution;


• Enable parents to locate advocates and attorneys through COPAA's website directory;


• Files amicus curiae briefs in cases of national significance.

The organization does not provide direct services, individual advocacy or representation to children with disabilities. COPAA does not limit its interest to any particular type of disability, specific age range, or setting. Rather, COPAA's chief concern is that parents of children with disabilities have equal access to established legal protections by ensuring the availability and quality of legal and advocacy resources. COPAA’s mission encompasses all educational rights of students with disabilities, including students receiving early intervention services, students enrolled in pre-K- 12 programs, students in transition, and students in post-secondary education.

COPAA Board of Directors Annual Report to the Membership for the 2008-2009 Fiscal Year