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Advocates for Children's Services
Physical Address: 201 West Main Street, Suite
400, Durham, NC 27701
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2101, Durham, NC 27702
Phone: 919-226-0052 or 919-226-0053
Fax: 919-226-0566
Advocates for Children's Services (ACS) is a statewide project of
Legal Aid of North Carolina
(LANC). LANC is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that provides free
legal services in civil matters to low-income people in order to
ensure equal access to justice and to remove legal barriers to
economic opportunity.
NEW! KNOW YOUR RIGHTS IN NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Advocates for Children's Services has published a new know-your-rights handbook for parents, guardians and students in the North Carolina public school system.
The handbook provides an overview of the rights of parents, guardians and students, what remedies are available when those rights are violated,
tips and tools for self-advocacy, and support resources.
Download the handbook.
Now available in Spanish! ¡Descargue
la version en español aqui!
WHAT WE DO
1) ACS provides legal advice and representation to children from
low-wealth families. ACS staff is small and unable to
represent every eligible client who requests legal representation.
The focus of ACS' legal advocacy is public education; however, ACS
will take a limited number of Medicaid or foster care cases.
Examples of education cases that ACS will consider for
representation include:
- long-term suspension
- expulsion
- repeated short-term suspension
- denial of enrollment
- suspended students facing criminal or delinquency charges
- discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, gender, or
disability
- inadequate Personal Education Plans (PEPs) or Individualized
Education Plans
- special education
2) ACS provides community education in the form of publications,
presentations, training, and media outreach.
3) ACS collaborates with other organizations and individuals working
for education justice.
ACS has two special projects:
1) The Push Out Prevention Project (POPP) focuses on school push out
issues in Wake County, such as suspensions and wrongful placement in
alternative schools.
2) The Juvenile Reentry Action Project (J-RAP) focuses on students
who are on juvenile court probation or who have been in a secure
out-of-home placement (e.g., youth detention center, youth
development center, psychiatric residential treatment facility) and
who face barriers when trying to return to school, such as denied
enrollment or placement in an alternative program.
TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR SERVICES FROM ACS A CHILD MUST:
§ Live in a "household" with an income not more than 187.5% of
the Federal poverty level or live in foster care.
LANC screens all applicants to determine if they meet financial and
other requirements to be eligible for legal services
HOW TO REQUEST ASSISTANCE
1) Call Legal Aid Helpline toll free at 866-219-5262 to apply
for services
2) Apply for services online at
http://ww2.legalaidnc.org/apply/
Disclaimer
The materials contained on this website
are for information and educational purposes only and do not
constitute legal advice.
Also please note that Legal Aid of North Carolina does not
provide legal assistance by E-mail. Contact your Legal Aid of
North Carolina office or a private attorney if you need to speak
to an attorney regarding your particular situation.
See our
complete disclaimer.
Mission Statement
Legal Aid of North Carolina is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that
provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income people in
order to ensure equal access to justice and to remove legal barriers
to economic opportunity.