Raffaele Law

Special Education Law

More than six million children in the United States, ranging in age from infancy to 21 years, are eligible for special education services at no cost to their parents. The dedicated team help clients throughout Pennsylvania ensure that their children receive the special education services to which they are entitled under the law.

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School Discipline & Truancy

When we were kids, school discipline was pretty simple. If a student misbehaved he or she might be sent to the principal’s office, given detention or, in rare cases, he or she might face school suspension. Expulsion was almost unheard of. Like so much in our education system, school discipline has changed and become much more complicated – so complicated that the education lawyers at Raffaele Law are often called upon to help our clients navigate through the school law legal system.

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Juvenile Delinquency & Criminal Justice

There are certain telephone calls that no parent ever wants to receive. Near the top of that list is the call telling you your child has been arrested. Juveniles are not immune from the law. When they break it, they are, like adults, subject to arrest and prosecution.

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Higher Education Student Rights

Colleges, universities and other institutions of higher education that receive federal funding are prohibited from discriminating against students, or potential students, based on protected characteristics such as age, race, national origin, disability and sex. All students must be provided with equal access to education in an environment that is free from discrimination.

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Constitutional Rights of Children

While the law treats children differently from adults in many respects, children have legal rights. Furthermore, while children’s rights are not necessarily less than those of adults, they are often different. School-age children are required to comply with school policies, for example, yet they retain the First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, religion and assembly, provided that the exercise of such rights does not disrupt the educational process. An array of additional federal, state and local laws protect children’s civil rights.