S5E3 Current Legal Implications for Special Education: Before, During, and After COVID, Part II

Pete Wright is an attorney who represents children with special educational needs. In second grade, Pete was diagnosed with learning disabilities including dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD. He was fortunate—his learning problems were identified early and his parents obtained intensive remediation for him. Pete’s determination to help children grew out of his own educational experiences.

In December 1977, Pete graduated from T. C. Williams Law School at the University of Richmond with a J.D. degree. On October 6, 1993, Pete gave oral argument before the United States Supreme Court in Florence County School District Four v. Shannon Carter, 510 U.S. 7 (1993). Thirty-four days later, the Court issued a unanimous decision for Shannon Carter. In 2005, while the SCOTUS, Schaffer v. Weast, special education burden of proof case was pending, the National Council on Disability (www.ncd.gov) contracted with Pete Wright to prepare a “Policy Paper” for submission to the Court as a part of their role being the federal agency concerned with national issues regarding disabilities.

He appeared as the parent’s attorney in the award-winning DVD video, Surviving Due Process: When Parents and the School Board Disagree – Stephen Jeffers v. School Board (2004).

Pete and Pam are the founders of Wrightslaw, the #1 ranked website about education law, special education law, and special education advocacy.