Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia

WHAT'S NEW AT THE LAW CENTER

50% OFF AWARD-WINNING LAW CENTER PUBLICATIONS!
July 14, 2010 - Our publication, Education in the 50 States: A Deskbook of the History of State Constitutions and Laws About Education, is now available for only $24.50. We also contributed two chapters to A Quality Education for Every Child: Stories from the Lawyers on the Front Line, which is now just $13.50. Both award-winning books were published by The Institute for Educational Equity and Opportunity are on sale through September 1 on the IFEEO website only, www.ifeeo.org. Learn more...

CONTROVERSIAL MINE FILLING PROJECT CHALLENGED BY HAZELTON, PA RESIDENTS
April 27, 2010 - S.U.F.F.E.R. (Save Us From Future Environmental Risks), a group of concerned Hazleton citizens, challenged Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)’s extraordinary decision to allow a developer to fill a local mine pit with over two million tons of a potentially hazardous mixture of waste materials. The group claims that the DEP misapplied a special research and development (R&D) permit process to allow the project to go forward. More...

LAW CENTER CO-HOSTS "TELLING THE PENNHURST STORY" MARKING 25 YEARS OF COMMUNITY LIVING FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
April 10, 2010 - Over 300 attendees gathered to mark the 25th anniversary of the groundbreaking settlement agreement in Halderman v. Pennhurst, which Law Center attorneys argued three times before the US Supreme Court, with the dedication of a Pennsylvania Historic Marker and a public forum featuring a panel discussion and screening of a film by the Penn Law Visual Legal Advocacy Project to recognize Pennhurst's pivotal role in the disabilities civil rights movement. Photos and other event details.

ATTORNEY MICHAEL CHURCHILL TESTIFIES ON NEW PROPOSED TRUANCY PENALTIES FOR PARENTS
March 15, 2010 - Michael Churchill testified on SB99 which proposes a statewide law increasing the fines and providing jail time for parents of truant, neglected or delinquent students. Michael's testimony in opposition to the proposed law was based in large part on his research in Lebanon, PA where parents and Law Center clients are challenging a similar law already in effect that has caused devastating effects on some families. Read Michael's testimony.

GOVERNOR'S PROPOSAL TO INCREASE SCHOOL FUNDING ADVANCES; SCHOOL FUNDING CAMPAIGN APPLAUDS
Governor Edward G. Rendell's proposed 2010-11 budget, including a $354 million increase in basic education funding, advanced with its passage by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The measure is now being considered by the State Senate. The Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign (PSFC) applauded the proposed budget because it will keep Pennsylvania headed in the right direction toward eliminating the gap in funding. More...

VICTORY FOR CLIENT WITH DISABILITIES IN ALASKA IS ONE OF SEVERAL IN FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT
February 24, 2010 - the Alaska Federal District Court issued an opinion affirming a hearing officer's decision that our client, Ben Y, was denied education in the Least Restrictive Environment; the district court cited the hearing officer's determination that the LRE violations were "significant." As a result, our client will receive substantial compensatory relief and the district must bring in a well-recognized inclusion facilitator to make sure that the district carries LRE out properly going forward. More...

LAW CENTER PRESERVES FAMILY'S RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS AGAINST CLAIM THAT STATUTE OF LIMITATION EXPIRED
February 18, 2010 - An administrative hearing officer ruled in favor of Law Center client Kentell and permitted his family to proceed with a due process hearing in the face of the school district's assertation that the claim was brought too late. Kentell has a number of physical and neurological conditions - his family had previously sought a due process hearing that was withdrawn when Kentell's medical issues required more immediate attention. More...

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND JUSTICE CLINIC JOINS OTHER GROUPS ENCOURAGING EPA TO TAKE TOUGHER STANCE ON LEAD MONITORING
February 16, 2010 - The Law Center's Public Health and Environmental Justice Project has teamed up with various organizations, including the Natural Resources Defense Council and the American Lung Association, to urge the EPA to take a tougher stance on the monitoring of lead in the air. Jointly signed comments by the groups were submitted to the EPA in support of proposed revisions to its lead ambient air monitoring requirements. More...

MINORITY OWNED BUS COMPANIES ALLEGE RACIAL DISCRIMINATION BY NJ DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
The Law Center’s advocacy on behalf of several black-owned, Philadelphia-based bus companies progressed in February 2010 as the State of New Jersey asked the federal court to dismiss the plaintiffs’ claims. The lawsuit alleges that the New Jersey bus inspectors illegally discriminated against black-owned buses in running inspections in Atlantic City. More....

LAW CENTER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TESTIFIES ON SCHOOL VIOLENCE
February 3, 2010 - The Law Center’s Executive Director Jennifer Clarke testified at the first of eleven hearings on school violence in Philadelphia, hosted by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. These meetings were held in response to an outbreak of assaults against approximately 30 Asian students on December 3, 2009 at South Philadelphia High School. Read the testimony...

BUDGET PROPOSAL CONTINUES PROGRESS ON EDUCATION FUNDING REFORM
February 9, 2010 -- The Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign (PSFC) applauded Governor Rendell’s proposed $354 million increase in basic education funding in his 2010-11 budget. The Law Center is a member of the Campaign Steering Committee. The proposal would keep Pennsylvania moving toward eliminating the gap in funding between what is actually spent on public education in Pennsylvania’s school districts and the amount a PA General Assembly-commissioned “Costing-Out Study” determined was necessary to educate all Pennsylvania students to reach state standards. More...

LAW CENTER OFFERS NEW CONSULTATION SERVICES
As Sonja Kerr explains in a recent law review article, there are far too few lawyers to represent the nation's 6.8 million children with disabilities, particularly in the procedurally complex administrative hearings under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). As a partial solution to redressing this imbalance, the Law Center now offers consultation services to families. Learn more...

THE EFFECTIVE TEACHING CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCES GRADES FOR THE NEW PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL DISTRICT TEACHER CONTRACT
January 26, 2010 - The Law Center’s Michael Churchill joined other members of the Effective Teaching Campaign, including students, parents, teachers and advocates in rating the School District’s new teacher contract. "This contract is the best we have seen in many years from the perspective of improving teacher quality for all students," said Churchill. Gathered in front of the School District Building for a press conference, the ETC issued letter grades on 4 key issues. More....

THE LAW CENTER COMMENTS ON PROPOSED GUIDANCE TO REDUCE EMPLOYMENT BARRIERS CAUSED BY CRIMINAL RECORD
January 26, 2010 - The Law Center submitted comments on the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC)'s new proposed guidance regarding employers' use of criminal records checks to exclude applicants. Under the guidance, PHRC will presume that a policy of excluding applicants based on a record of a criminal conviction disparately impacts minority applicants. More....

EXPERT, MEDICAL DIRECTOR TESTIFY IN FLORIDA MEDICAID TRIAL
As of January 26, 2010 four witnesses have taken the stand in a case on behalf of more than one million Florida children enrolled in or eligible for Medicaid, over nine days in court since the beginning of trial on December 7, 2009. Three of those witnesses have completed their testimony and one will continue when trial resumes on February 9, 2010 for three more days. More on the witness testimony...

STUDENTS AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE CHARGE RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN CHESTER COUNTY POLLING PLACES
January 20, 2010 – The Law Center’s Michael Churchill and a coalition of civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of African-American residents and Lincoln University students in Chester County, charging that the County Board of Elections and Department of Voter Services deprived African-Americans in Lower Oxford East Township of their right to vote by assigning them to inconvenient and inadequate polling facilities. More...

AMICUS BRIEF CHALLENGES BLANKET STRIP SEARCH POLICY IN NJ PRISONS
January 19, 2010 - the Law Center’s Jennifer Clarke and Christopher Sousa filed an amicus brief with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders, a lawsuit challenging the shocking strip searching policies of certain New Jersey jails. More...

A RESOURCE FOR PARENTS LITIGATING PRO SE ON BEHALF OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
December 2009 - In an article for the Alaska Law Review, Sonja Kerr, Director of Disabilities Rights Projects, examines the rights of parents to litigate pro se on behalf of their children under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). While the focus of the article is the state of Alaska, the issues and concerns are common for parents throughout the United States and the article is a good resource for parents who are facing pro se issues. More...

LAW CENTER SEEKS MORE COMPLETE ACCESS TO RECORDS OF DECISIONS UNDER THE IDEA, TO INFORM PARENTS AND ADVOCATES
December 15, 2009 -- The Law Center’s Sonja Kerr and volunteer attorney Manali Shah have appealed a decision of the Office of Open Records (“OOR”) holding that administrative decisions regarding gifted children are not available to the public. The Law Center’s client in the case, the mother of a child who is both gifted and has special needs, submitted a request pursuant to the Right to Know Law seeking administrative decisions pertaining to 1) gifted students and 2) students who are categorized as both gifted and special needs. More...

FLORIDA MEDICAID CASE HEADS TO TRIAL
December 7, 2009 - After the first day of trial the New York times reported: "Doctors and advocates suing the state used Florida officials' own words against them during opening arguments of a trial Monday by playing video clips of top health officials lamenting health care delays for Medicaid patients." In a compelling clip former Florida health secretary Dr. Andrew Agwunobi stated at a Medicaid conference in 2007 , ''The biggest problem our agency faces is access to specialty care for Medicaid recipients.'' In a deposition a year later Dr. Agwunobi repeatedly said that he could not remember making those remarks. More....

LAW CENTER FILES RIGHT TO KNOW REQUESTS ON BEHALF OF CLIENTS OPPOSING PROPOSED FOXWOODS CASINO
November 16, 2009 -- The Law Center’s Adam Cutler is representing the Chinatown Preservation Alliance and working with Paul Boni, who represents Casino-Free Philadelphia, in an ongoing matter regarding plans and progress reports on the proposed Foxwoods Casino in South Philadelphia. The two have filed a request that would require the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to release certain progress updates that have been filed by Foxwoods Casino in response to a Gaming Control Board Order. More...

CLINIC ADVISES HAZELTON, PA RESIDENTS CONCERNED ABOUT POTENTIAL HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH MINE RECLAMATION PROJECT
The Law Center’s Public Health and Environmental Justice Project is advising SUFFER (Save Us From Future Environmental Risks), a community group of concerned citizens from Hazleton, Pennsylvania, where low-income residents may soon find a controversial environmental demonstration project in their backyard. More...

TRUANCY FINES PLACE EXCESSIVE BURDEN ON FAMILIES IN LEBANON, PENNSYLVANIA
The Law Center's Michael Churchill is representing United We Stand Lebanon, a group of parents challenging the Lebanon School District's truancy policy. The parents, all whom are racial or ethnic minorities, criticize the district's policy of imposing extremely high fees when their children are late for or absent from school.
Read more...

WE'RE MOVING - OCTOBER 31ST!
After more than two decades in our current office, the Law Center will move to a new space in the United Way building on Benjamin Franklin Parkway. We look forward to making our new space even more welcoming to our clients and friends. Stay tuned for updates on an office-warming party!
OUR NEW ADDRESS:
The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia
United Way Building
1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Second Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(our telephone/fax numbers and email addresses will remain the same)

TWO LAW CENTER PUBLICATIONS ON EDUCATION NAMED FINALISTS IN 2009 NATIONAL BEST BOOK AWARDS
October 20, 2009 -- We are pleased to announce that "Education in the 50 States: A Deskbook of the History of State Constitutions and Laws About Education," produced by Law Center staff and interns and published by by The Institute for Educational Equity and Opportunity (IFEEO), has been recognized as an outstanding candidate in the "History: United States" category for this distinguished book award. Learn more about the book, read an excerpt or order a copy...
Also, "A Quality Education for Every Child: Stories from the Lawyers on the Front Lines" has been named a Finalist in the "Education/Academic" category. Attorney Michael Churchill contributed two chapters to this book.

PROGRESS IN FLORIDA MEDICAID CASE - CLASS CERTIFIED, NEW TRIAL DATE SET FOR EARLY DECEMBER
September 30, 2009 -- The Law Center's clients in a Medicaid case on behalf of more than one million children in Florida achieved two preliminary victories when the judge issued orders certifying a class that includes children who are enrolled in Medicaid as well as those who are eligible for Medicaid but are not yet enrolled in the program. The judge also denied the defendants' motion for summary judgment, paving the way for a December 7, 2009 trial. Read more...

LAW CENTER FIGHTS FOR FAIR HOUSING FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE
October 2009 - The Law Center has filed a case alleging housing discrimination against a victim of domestic violence. Ms. J (name hidden to protect her identity) and her children fled her abuser and sought help from the Women's Center of Montgomery County, which advised her to take refuge in a nearby hotel. After four days at the hotel, Ms. J was denied a room by a hotel manager who claimed all rooms were unavailable, even though a later test showed that rooms were available. Read more...

LAW CENTER CLIENTS REACH SETTLEMENT WITH DEP ON SUGARHOUSE CASINO SEWAGE PLAN
September 24, 2009 -- Advocates for the Delaware River and the Northern Liberties neighborhood have reached a settlement agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the City of Philadelphia Water Department (PWD), and HSP Gaming, L.P. (HSP), over sewage and stormwater plans for the SugarHouse casino development in connection with an appeal challenging the DEP’s approval of a sewage facilities planning module for the facility. The Law Center's Public Health and Environmental Justice Law Clinic which represented the Northern Liberties Neighborhood Association and individuals in opposition to the original sewage plan, called the resolution of the appeal “a step in the right direction for open and responsive government....” Read more.....

NATIONAL COUNCIL ON DISABILITY SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON EDUCATION BY SEPTEMBER 15
September 2, 2009 - The Law Center encourages parents, advocates, teachers and others who work with students with disabilities to submit their experiences to the National Council on Disabilities. Input will be used to develop recommendations for changes in legislation, regulations, policies, or programs, as appropriate. More information and instructions for submitting your comments

GAMING CONTROL BOARD DASHES FOXWOODS CASINO'S HOPES OF RELOCATION; LAW CENTER CLIENTS HAIL DECISION
August 28, 2009 - The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board told the developers of the Foxwoods Philadelphia Casino, in no uncertain terms, to stay out of Philadelphia Chinatown and that any attempt to relocate the proposed slots casino to 8th and Market Streets would be a “fool’s errand.” The Chinatown Preservation Alliance and Liberty Resources, Inc, both represented by the Law Center's Public Health and Environmental Justice Clinic in their opposition to the proposed location, hailed the decision. Read more....

REMEMBERING PAT TEMPLE-WEST
It is with extraordinary sadness that we share the news that our beloved board member Patrick F. Temple-West died August 4, 2009 of complications from leukemia. Pat served on the board of directors for 25 years. On the audit/finance committee, he brought a sharp and penetrating analysis to our financial statements; he was loyal and committed to our mission; and warm and dedicated as a human being. We, the extended family that is the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, will deeply miss him. Philadelphia Inquirer Obituary

PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL REFORM COMMISSION VOTES TO END LONG-RUNNING DESEGREGATION CASE, PLEDGES INCREASED RESOURCES FOR LOW-PERFORMING SCHOOLS

July 9, 2009 - The Law Center hailed the commitments of the School District of Philadelphia in its historic agreement to end the 39-year-old Philadelphia school desegregation case. "If these commitments are carried out with fidelity they should go a long way towards aligning resources with needs in Philadelphia schools and the academic achievement disparities between minority and white students in the district," according to Law Center attorney Michael Churchill, who represents ASPIRA, a community intervener in the case. Read more....

FLORIDA MEDICAID CASE ONE STEP CLOSER TO TRIAL—COURT RECOMMENDS CLASS CERTIFICATION
June 25, 2009 -- The Law Center’s lawsuit on behalf of the 1.6 million children enrolled in Medicaid in Florida moved one step closer to trial as a Magistrate Judge recommended that the case be certified as a class action, finding that the plaintiffs established all of the requirements for a class action and that the plaintiffs had standing to assert their claims. Read more....

THE LAW CENTER'S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND JUSTICE PROJECT IS ON TWITTER!
Follow PILCOP_EJ on Twitter for recent news in Environmental Justice issues and updates about the Law Center's Public Health and Environmental Justice Clinic by Adam Cutler, the clinic's director. http://twitter.com/PILCOP_EJ

THE LAW CENTER HONORED WITH INGLIS FOUNDATION'S AWARD FOR CONTINUING EXCELLENCE
June 25, 2009 - Judith Gran accepted the ACE award for the Law Center's Disabilities Rights Project. The award recognizes organizations in the Philadelphia region that work to enhance the quality of life and increase opportunities for independence for people with disabilities, and by doing so supporting the mission of the Inglis Foundation. Read more about the award and other winners...

LOWER MERION SCHOOL DISTRICT FAILED TO PROVIDE FREE AND APPROPRIATE PUBLIC EDUCATION TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
June 24, 2009 -- After listening to testimony over eight days, an administrative hearing officer ruled that the Lower Merion School District denied a free and appropriate public education to our client, a 17-year old African American high school student with learning disabilities in mathematics, reading and writing, who aspires to attend college. Read more....

HUNTING PARK STAKEHOLDERS HALT EXPANSION OF ENVIRONMENTAL RISK IN THEIR COMMUNITY WITH ASSISTANCE FROM CLINIC
June 18, 2009 - the Hunting Park Stakeholders Group, a coalition of residents in the Hunting Park neighborhood of Philadelphia concerned about school-aged children and environmental risks in their community, honored Law Center attorney Adam Cutler and Public Health and Environmental Justice Law Clinic Interns for their efforts to help prevent the expansion of a construction and demolition materials recycling plant located close to residential areas and schools in the Hunting Park neighborhood. Read more....

LAW CENTER COLLABORATES ON CAMPAIGN TO SECURE TEACHING QUALITY AND EQUITY FOR PHILADELPHIA'S SCHOOL CHILDREN
March 31, 2009 -- The Law Center, along with dozens of citywide organizations, launched a new, powerful campaign to secure quality teachers for every child in Philadelphia. The Campaign, entitled "Effective Teaching for All Children: What it Will Take" declares that "all children in Philadelphia have the right to have consistently effective teaching in every content area and at every grade level, Pre-K through 12." Read more.....

LAW CENTER BRIEF PURSUADES COURT TO UPHOLD CHALLENGE TO STRIP SEARCH POLICY
March 24, 2009 -- The Court reaffirmed the right of persons detained in prisons and jails to be free from unreasonable strip searches in Allison v. The GEO Group, Inc., No. 08-467, a class action brought by detainees seeking to halt a policy implemented in the jails and prisons operated by defendant The GEO Group, Inc. Under the challenged policy, every person booked into jail or prison is subjected to the humiliation of a strip search – even if there is no reason to believe the person is concealing contraband in a body cavity, and no matter how minor the crime or misdemeanor for which the person was arrested or detained. Read more....

EXPERTS READY - AUGUST 2009 TRIAL DATE SET IN FLORIDA CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE CASE
March 2009 -- Nearly four years after it was filed, the Law Center and Boies, Schiller & Flexner are making final preparations for trial in a case seeking delivery of medical and dental care for the 1.7 million children enrolled in Medical Assistance in Florida. Read more....

NATIONALLY RENOWNED DISABILITY ATTORNEY JOINS THE LAW CENTER
March 11, 2009 -- Joining the Law Center as Senior Attorney, Sonja D. Kerr brings more than 20 years of national disabilities rights litigation expertise to the Law Center's disabilities and systems reform practice. Ms. Kerr was the first chair of the national organization Counsel for Parent Advocates and Attorneys (COPAA), and has litigated special education cases in several different states, including Minnesota, Indiana and Alaska, gaining a national reputation with groundbreaking litigation on behalf of children with disabilities. Read more...
Press Release Announcing Ms. Kerr's arrival

VOTING CASE LIKELY TO BECOME WIDELY CITED AS ACTIVISTS SEEK TO MAKE THE VOTING PROCESS MORE USER FRIENDLY
March 9, 2009 - An article by the Law Center's Michael Churchill about the recent voting case NAACP v. Cortes which appeared in the Philadelphia Bar Association's new online publication "Upon Further Review," states, "The decision was highly unusual because no reported case had previously found that potential delays from long lines in casting a ballot could create a Constitutional violation of the right to vote." Read more....

AMICUS BRIEF SEEKS TO PRESERVE THE RIGHT TO FEDERAL REDRESS WHEN HOUSING DISCRIMINATION VICTIM DOES NOT LEAVE PROPERTY
February 27, 2009 - The Law Center filed an amicus brief in Bloch v. Hirschholz seeking to reverse a panel decision that would limit the federal fair housing act to incidents prior to sale or lease of a property. Read more...

THE LAW CENTER WELCOMES A NEW BOARD MEMBER
February 23, 2009 - The Law Center is pleased to announce the appointment of Howard R. Flaxman to the Board of Directors. Learn more...

AMICUS CURIAE BRIEF SEEKS TO PRESERVE THE LARGEST CLASS TO EVER FILE SUIT UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
November 20, 2008 - The Law Center joined forces with the Impact Fund and other disability rights advocates in an amicus curiae brief opposing UPS’s appeal of a class certification decision in a landmark disabilities rights case. Members of the class of up to 36,000 UPS employees left work for medical reasons and were barred from further employment due to UPS’s “100% healed” policy that demands complete recovery for returning employees, even those who are otherwise able to perform essential job functions. Should the class withstand the appeal it would become the largest to ever file suit under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Read more...

THE LAW CENTER RELEASES PUBLIC COMMENT ON LOWER MERION REDISTRICTING PLAN

January 6, 2009 - At the request of several Lower Merion School District parents concerned that the District's proposed redistricting plan may consider race in an unlawful manner, the Law Center submitted comments to the District intended to "provide guidance as to what the law requires of LMSD, including the factors that LMSD should consider in determining whether its plan conforms to the law." Read more....