Sarah B. Dragotta, Attorney

A personal note from Attorney Dragotta:

I am honored that you are considering me to represent you in an education law matter.

As you can see from my profile, I have extensive experience as an educator. My desire to attend law school in the middle of a successful career in education tells you about my love for learning. I believe that all students whether in regular or special education have the right to be physically and emotionally safe at school. I also believe that a Free Appropriate Public Education is for all children with disabilities aged 3 through 21. (FAPE is explained more fully in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. 1400, et seq).

My passion for education inspires me to strive for the best educational setting for every child and young adult, whether in infant programs or at the university level.

Sarah B. Dragotta began the Law Office of Sarah B. Dragotta in Glenside, Pennsylvania. With two decades of experience as an educator in various settings, Ms. Dragotta has a practice that encompasses education law and related issues in personal injury and constitutional rights. She consults with families whose children are in regular education and special education. She reviews educational records to find solutions through consultation and resolution meetings. She represents parents and guardians at Individualized Education Program meetings and due process hearings. She also represents families with children in truancy and disciplinary matters and in juvenile proceedings. Ms. Dragotta also provides private consultation for adults in college and post graduate settings.

Ms. Dragotta presently serves as General Counsel for AWB Consultants, Inc., for a state-of-the-art children's center in the Germantown area of Philadelphia, PA. She was instrumental in achieving a child day care license for the center through the Department of Public Welfare. She was also the center's first director and acted as its education consultant. Recently, Ms. Dragotta served as General Counsel for a limited liability corporation. Through her efforts, the managing partners earned a private, licensed school for nurse aide education through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Education.

Currently, Sarah Dragotta is also involved in the following programs:

• Supervising Attorney for Arcadia University in an undergraduate student internship program.
• Supervising Attorney for Bucks County Community College in the Paralegal Internship Program.
• Mentor for a first year law student enrolled in the Drexel University School of Law.
• Mentor for a first year law student enrolled in the Temple University School of Law.

Sarah Dragotta has legal and expert services in education consulting for civil and criminal cases. She served as an educational expert in a state-created danger case that resulted in a favorable plaintiff's verdict against a school district. Hillard v. Lampeter-Strasburg School Dist., 2004 WL 1091050 (E.D. Pa. 2004). she also wrote an education report for a handicapped young man. Through her assistance, the Court and the Philadelphia District Attorney's office confirmed a meaningful work release program instead of a harsher criminal sentence.

Some of her cases of particular interest include:

• A personal injury case with her colleague David C. Brooks of DCB Law Office. They represented a family in public housing where a window slammed shut on a little girl's finger, causing partial amputation. The parties reached a favorable settlement that included rehabilitation and vocational training.
• Helping families who are the victims of national disaster, including a student who withdrew from a university in the Washington, D.C., area after the September 11, 2001, tragedy. Through her representation, that university ended its lengthy battle with the client and did not seek the full price of tuition.
• A Hurricane Katrina victim had difficulty with her former tuition payment at a large Philadelphia university. Ms. Dragotta settled the dispute pro bono.
• A handicapped child was banned from participating in a kindergarten graduation ceremony. Ms. Dragotta helped the school and the parents come to a creative resolution. The school also provided tuition reimbursement for the family.
• A high school female athlete was accused of transferring to a religious school for athletic purposes. In the well-publicized battle against the school district, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association District One Committee voted to deny the allegations against the student. The student was eligible immediately for participation in her sport.
• A teacher who saved the life of a suicidal child was disciplined as a direct result of her advocacy of this student who is protected by the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. As a result of Ms. Dragotta's representation of the teacher and the case, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit heard oral arguments in January 2007. Although the outcome of that case resulted in the Third Circuit affirming the District Court's ruling, Ms. Dragotta still believes strongly in the rights of teachers when those rights impact what a teacher does on her own time. She believes that these are the cases for the courts to hear.

Ms. Dragotta is admitted to the Pennsylvania bar, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She received a B.S. in Speech Pathology and Audiology from the Pennsylvania State University in 1976 and an M.Ed. from Lehigh University in 1980. She is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi collegiate honor society. She earned her J.D. from Temple University School of Law in 2001 and became a member of the bar in 2002. That fall, she assisted her colleague, Attorney Brooks, in a medical malpractice trial in which a Philadelphia County jury handed down a million dollar plus verdict for the estate of a man who died from undiagnosed colon cancer.

Ms. Dragotta's practice can be summed up in one word: advocacy. It is the passion of her own experiences of losing a brother to a wrongful death, of raising three children, and of working in various educational settings that make her listen for the stories of her clients. In telling those stories, she helps clients find closure and brings some justice to their lives.

Personal Pursuits:

Annual Bucks 5k Series Runner

USA Sprint Triathlete Participant: Completed Hyannis Sprint (Cape Cod ocean swim) June 2007 and Completed Brigantine Sprint (New Jersey bay swim) August 2007

Publications:

Early Childhood Report (for Children with Special Needs and Their Families), LRP Publications, August 2007, Article "Raise Major Red Flag to Speech Concerns" and Special Education IEP Team Trainer, LRP Publications, October 2007, Article "Use 2-Step Process to Help New Teachers, Substitutes Follow IEPs"

Presentations:

Lehigh University, Annual Special Education Law Conference, Presenter, 2007 and Pennsylvania State University, National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association, Presenter, 2007

My passion for education brings me to a new area of my practice -- mentoring and coaching young lawyers and other men and women in business. Over the past few years, I have done just that. People call on me for answers to a myriad of life questions. As a sole practitioner, I have learned much in the development of my business. The success of my small business is built on my creativity and my ability to network well. If you are thinking about opening your own practice, let me teach you how to get started and how to grow. The skills that I learned during my first five years in practice will help you reduce your learning curve. Good practice management is more than what started with a dream and a business plan. A successful business takes energy, effort and the experience of others who have gone before you. Sometimes you need the assistance of someone who has been there, someone who can provide guidance and direction, someone who has taken her ideas and put them into practice. Sometimes you need help with decision-making for your personal life as well as for your business. Having someone to call on can make all the difference in holding on during those first years. Give me a call if you are interested in my services in this area. I would be happy to meet with you and teach you what I learned from my practice. Make this your year to grow your ideas.

If you want to learn more about the Law Office of Sarah B. Dragotta, please visit www.edlawpa.com.

If I can be of assistance to you in legal matters involving education law, please contact me for an appointment.