Calvin Luker, Attorney

Tricia Luker, Advocate

2007 Guthrie Avenue
Royal Oak, Michigan 48067
Phone: (248) 544-7223

Fax: (248) 544-7233

Email: tluker@ralawcenter.com

  

RESPECTability Law Center

Respect ABILITY Law Center

 

CALL TO ACTION: ELIMINATE OPEN CARRY FIREARMS IN MICHIGAN SCHOOLS

When it comes to guns, Michigan is an “open carry” state. This means that people who lawfully purchase handguns generally may wear them in outside holsters whether or not they have a license to carry a concealed handgun. In Michigan, open carry practices allow lawful gun owners to openly carry rifles and shotguns as well as handguns.  Michigan law creates “gun free zones” [MCL 750.234d] and “weapons free school zones” [MCL 750.237a] where gun possession or use is severely restricted. Click here to download the call to action. Click here to download a sample letter you can use.

 

New Article: HOW DO WE KNOW THEY ARE LEARNING? © 2015 Patricia D. Luker - There is a lot of talk today about assessing i.e. measuring what a student has learned. The basic question is “What particular areas of knowledge do you intend to assess?” Up until recently, you could count on most people agreeing that schools exist and are funded to teach children the three C’s ... Communication through reading, Communication through writing, and Calculation. (If you are really quite ancient, you’d probably call these the three R’s for reading, ’riting, and ’rithmetic.)

 

TAKE ACTION: CONTACT YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS

 

Every student deserves to learn and grow in a safe, supportive environment, yet each day children across the U.S. continue to be subjected to restraint and seclusion abuse. We can do more to protect our kids, and we can start by advocating for federal policy that puts an end to restraint and seclusion abuse.

 

As a partner organization of the Stop Hurting Kids campaign, Our Children Left Behind is asking you to contact your congressperson in the U.S. House of Representatives with a simple message: stop hurting kids. It takes just minutes to make a difference, and you can do it right from the Stop Hurting Kids campaign website at http://stophurtingkids.com.

 

We’re reaching out to members of the House because HR 1893 – known as the Keeping All Students Safe Act – has already been introduced, and has a chance of being included as an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. All it takes is for Congress to vote “yes” to include this amendment, and the provisions outlined in the bill will be included in the House’s version of ESEA.

 

What You Can Do …

 

Contact your member of Congress to urge them to vote yes to include the Keeping All Students Safe Act as an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. You can visit the Stop Hurting Kids website or send a message from the campaign’s Facebook page at http://stophurtingkids.com/fbcongress.

 

A sample message is included at the Stop Hurting Kids website, along with additional information about HR 1893 – the Keeping All Students Safe Act – and other resources.

 

We also invite you to share your personal  experiences with us and we have been posting collections of these stories on the Stop Hurting Kids campaign blog.  If you email your stories to us at tluker@ralawcenter.com we will forward them to the campaign blog for inclusion.  If you haven’t already, you may see the campaign blog here:   http://stophurtingkids.com/tag/share-your-story/  

 

Please help us end restraint/seclusion and abuse of children in our nation’s public schools.  The children need your voice. (Added June 26, 2013)

 

Teacher Punching Special Needs Student Caught on Video

 

Restraint and Seclusion in Schools HB 4676 introduced May 24, 2011

 

Superintendent's Letter to the Governor: "This is Why I'm Proposing to Make My School a Prison"

 

Shouldn’t School Be Safe?

A parent’s guide on prevention, detection and response to restraint, seclusion or other aversive interventions. The process of finding help when a child is abused is not always clear, and many parents are discouraged or overwhelmed by the patchwork of laws and regulations handling restraint and seclusion in schools. Shouldn’t School Be Safe? is a free resource developed for parents and by parents that offers insight and advice to respond to and prevent restraint and seclusion.

Download the report here.

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BIOS

Calvin has been a lawyer since 1981 and has concentrated exclusively on issues related to people with disabilities since 1990, including 10 years with the Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service. Calvin specializes in individual representation in Special Education; end of life issues; fair housing law; guardianship/ conservatorship law; juvenile justice; and other legal areas when they directly impact his clients with disabilities. Calvin also has been involved in issue/ systems work through governmental lobbying, non-profit and parent group advocacy. He has presented seminars and workshops locally and nationally on many disability-related issues including special education; housing law; alternatives to guardianships and conservatorships; respite care; advocacy strategies; positive behavior support; alternatives to restraint and seclusion; ADA; and ADHD. Calvin is a disabled Vietnam veteran.

Tricia is and always will be Jessica's Mom. Beginning in 1975, Tricia obtained her expertise in special education, community supports and parent advocacy through her direct efforts for Jessica and her family. She was the Director of Training at Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service for 6 years, and the Director of Family Services for Michigan's Parent Training and Information Center. Tricia has worked as a consultant for the Beach Center on Disability at the University of Kansas and at Exceptional Parent Magazine. She also has created and managed parent training programs for the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan. Tricia was a core member/consultant for MI Department of Education Positive Behavior Support (PBS) Pilot Project, where she co-wrote state PBS manual, conducted PBS awareness seminars for parents and professionals and acted as a PBS coach at a pilot inner city middle school. Tricia has presented seminars nationally on special education, service delivery, PBS, alternatives to restraint and seclusion and other issues important to children and young adults who have disabilities and the families who support them. Tricia’s work as a legal advocate concentrates on special education and Medicaid home and community-based waivers for children and adults.

Calvin and Tricia are proud founders and team members of Our Children Left Behind, created in 2003 to preserve the protections in IDEA '97. They also have been active in efforts in Michigan and nationally to eliminate the use of seclusion, restraints and aversives in public and charter schools; and have made presentations on the dangers of restraint/seclusion/aversives nationally.

The Respect ABILITY Law Center is a vehicle Tricia and Calvin created in 2001 to advance the civil, service and support rights of and for people with disabilities and their families. The Respect ABILITY Law Center is a founding member of the Alliance to Prevent Aversive Intervention and Seclusion [APRAISE], a national organization dedicated to the enactment and implementation of national legislation to eliminate the use of seclusion, restraint and aversives in all schools.

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