Needy children wait and wait for advocates

By Emily Richmond

Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007 | 7:28 a.m.

As a foster mother for nearly 30 years, Laurie Richardson knows firsthand how many children in Southern Nevada could use another adult on their side.

"There's no shortage of children in need, only volunteers," said Richardson, a children's advocate with Clark County Legal Services.

The need is particularly great for special education students living in foster care or group homes who have no one to advocate on their behalf in the Clark County School District. That's a gap the Surrogate Parent Program, which Richardson oversees, is trying to fill.

The surrogate parent's primary responsibility is making sure the child's special education services are being provided, as required by federal law. In some cases that involves meeting with school administrators and teachers , and keeping the county social worker assigned to the case informed of problems, Richardson said.

The program's roster has about 45 volunteers, each responsible for one or two students at a time. Hundreds of other children are waiting for help.

In 2004 Congress revised the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, requiring that students in foster care be assigned a surrogate parent to watch over their schooling.

"I get calls from schools every week, asking how long the wait will be for an advocate," Richardson said. "It's very nice that the schools are anxious, that they view this as a positive program. But it's frustrating that we can't say, 'Someone's on the way.' "

Federal law requires all special education students to have an Individualized Education Plan . Volunteers in the Surrogate Parent Program monitor the student's progress and ensure all the requirements of the education plan are being met.

Volunteers typically attend one or two meetings each year at the child's school and stay in regular contact with social workers and foster parents.

Charlene Green, associate superintendent of student support services for the School District, said the surrogate parents play an important - and welcome - role.

"The surrogate parent is a voice at the table for the child," Green said. "The coordination and cooperation of all parties is what makes it work for everybody."

Sally Achord, who became a surrogate parent last year, said participating has turned out to be "much more fulfilling than I was expecting."

Her students include a severely disabled child who is a permanent ward of the county and a student living at Boys and Girls Town.

She had some experience with the district's special education services because her youngest child had difficulty learning to read in elementary school. An IEP was created, and within two years her son was back in regular classes. He graduated from Eldorado High School in June and will earn his associate's degree this winter. She realizes now how fortunate her family was that she and her husband were available to advocate for their son.

"These kids have issues, but they are certainly entitled to an education," Achord said. "For some of them, it's going to be the salvation for their future."

Achord said, after she's assigned a student, it typically takes her about 10 hours to familiarize herself with the case file. After that, there might be a few hours of work each month, or an entire school year could go by with no problems requiring her involvement.

"The time is worth it, because you know you're really helping," Achord said.

An informational meeting about the Surrogate Parent Program will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday in the Pueblo Room of the Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway. For more information, call Laurie Richardson at 386-1070 , ext. 124, or visit her Web site, laurierichardsonchildadvocate.com.