Education Rights Counsel

Jayden is a 15-year-old who loves football, video games, and arguing about which superhero would win in a fight. He is also one of roughly 100,000 Americans living with sickle cell disease (SCD), a genetic blood disorder that can trigger episodes of severe pain, fatigue, and serious complications, often set off by things as ordinary as cold air, dehydration, or exhaustion.

Jayden has had a 504 plan since elementary school. But when his family's most recent military move landed him in a new school this fall, the plan had to be rebuilt from scratch with a team that had never supported a student with SCD. The first draft missed supports critical to Jayden's condition. There was no mention of unrestricted water and restroom access, nothing about seating away from drafty windows, and no plan for the missed assignments that would inevitably pile up after hospital stays.

So Jayden's family kept showing up. They brought information from his hematologist. They asked for another meeting. They explained why a desk near a cold window could mean the difference between a normal school day and a pain crisis. They pushed for accommodations that reflected Jayden's experiences, not a generic template.

His family's consistent advocacy made a real difference. Jayden now has a 504 plan that protects his health, and a school team that is ready to support future students with SCD.

Section 504 protections matter. Learn more at https://www.EducationRightsCounsel.org/News/202602-Texas-v-Kennedy.

LAST CHANCE: Nominate an Educator!

We're looking for bold, compassionate Nebraska educators who build belonging through innovation in the classroom and beyond.

Submit your nominations for the 2026 Debora Basler Wisneski Inclusive Innovation in Education Award.

Deadline: TODAY, June 15th

The winner will be honored at ERC's Raise the Bar event on August 26, 2026.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdXu8v7ziPqfI6rtKJx7qQcxgnK1ItAgl3YfzSezybJ4yHYGg/viewform.

Every family deserves the knowledge and tools to advocate effectively for their child.

Join ERC for a free training on June 25 from 3–5 PM at the Cambridge Community Building (722 Patterson St., Cambridge, NE) and leave feeling informed, empowered, and confident in navigating your child's educational journey.

RSVP here: https://forms.gle/BgwLzkBzLpEA4nYUA

ERC recently partnered with Radical Minds ABA Clinic to explore why advocacy matters in education. By helping providers understand the legal landscape, we strengthen their ability to support families and advance educational justice—one informed advocate at a time.

NOMINATE AN EDUCATOR

We're looking for bold, compassionate Nebraska educators who build belonging through innovation in the classroom and beyond.

Submit your nominations for the 2026 Debora Basler Wisneski Inclusive Innovation in Education Award.
Deadline: June 15th

The winner will be honored at ERC's Raise the Bar event on August 26, 2026.

https://forms.gle/2cyCrMPSadX14QJ19

This Pride Month, we're honoring Dr. Virginia Uribe. In 1984, the California teacher founded Project 10, the first public school program in the country offering counseling, peer support groups, and dropout prevention services for LGBTQ students. She saw students in her own school being pushed out, harassed, and isolated, and she built something to keep them in school.

We're also recognizing the LGBTQ students, educators, families, and advocates carrying that work forward today, in Nebraska and across the country. Every student deserves a school where they can learn and thrive.

Four years ago, Sarah Dee Hollibaugh joined ERC, and the office has run on her steadiness ever since.

Sarah is the glue. She keeps the team organized, the work on track, and the operation moving forward. She wrangles people and projects with equal skill, and she does it with a smile.

Thank you, Sarah, for four years of making everything work. The children and families served by ERC are better off because you are behind the scenes keeping it all running.

Carrie Brooks contacted over ten attorneys in Nebraska looking for someone to help advocate for her son's educational rights. Every single one said no. Most of them represented schools.

Then one attorney suggested she call ERC. On that very first call, CEO Lauren Micek Vargas told Carrie they would help. "I just remember crying," Carrie says, "thinking, 'Thank goodness, someone finally hears me.'"

ERC helped Carrie's family build her son's IEP and Medical Plan. And when the plan was completed and implemented, Carrie asked the question that tells you everything about who she is: "How can I help other families who are struggling like we did?"

That's how she joined ERC's Parent Advisory Board. As Carrie puts it, "ERC changed our lives forever. My time and involvement is a small gift of appreciation."

No family should feel alone. That's why ERC exists, and that's why parent voices like Carrie's matter.

Visit EducationRightsCounsel.org to learn how we protect the right to learn for every child.

Olivia is a typical 8-year-old girl who loves the color purple, unicorns, and practicing the latest dance trends. Her energy keeps her parents on their toes. But at school, it was becoming a problem. Her grades were slipping.

When Olivia's teacher, Mr. Saldar, noticed that she couldn't stop wiggling one day, he asked her to walk an "important note" to the front office. The note wasn't actually important, but the walk to the office was exactly what Olivia needed in that moment.

Over time, Mr. Saldar noticed more things that seemed to challenge Olivia more than other students: working in groups, staying still during quiet times, focusing on classwork. He provided her with a fidget, continued to give her movement breaks, and adjusted her seating.

Then he talked to Olivia's parents. He told them he was happy to provide these supports in his classroom, but without a 504 plan, Olivia might not get the same accommodations the following year. The 504 plan, he explained, would make those supports a legal protection rather than optional.

Olivia's school team met and created a 504 plan. Her grades rebounded. Her confidence grew. And the supports that helped her thrive in Mr. Saldar's classroom now follow her, year after year.

Section 504 protections matter. Learn more at https://www.educationrightscounsel.org/news/202602-texas-v-kennedy.