Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates
The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates is an independent U.S. nonprofit association supporting the legal and civil rights of students with disabilities and their families.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, commonly known as COPAA, is an independent American 501(c)(3) nonprofit association founded in 1998 by S. James Rosenfeld. It brings together parents of children with disabilities, special-education attorneys, nonlawyer advocates, and related professionals who work to protect the educational and civil rights of students with disabilities. COPAA focuses primarily on children covered by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and related federal and state laws. Its central objective is to help families participate as equal partners with school districts in designing and securing appropriate educational programs, including the free appropriate public education required under federal law. The organization does not generally represent individual parents directly. Instead, it supports the people who do that work through education, professional development, practical resources, networking, and public-policy advocacy. Its membership network includes attorneys, advocates, parents, and other professionals. According to the referenced organizational description, COPAA has more than 3,400 members across all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and several territories, and more than 90% of its members are people with disabilities or parents and family members of people with disabilities. The organization is governed by a 22-member Board of Directors intended to reflect the diversity of its peer network and the range of experience involved in special-education advocacy. Volunteers perform much of COPAA's mission-supported work, with staff providing organizational support. COPAA's activities include maintaining resources and a directory for families seeking special-education attorneys and advocates; operating an online community for peer assistance; conducting webinars, roundtables, and online training; and holding an annual national conference focused on advocacy and litigation techniques. It also encourages more lawyers and advocates to represent parents of children with disabilities and provides members with information about IDEA procedures, legal strategy, educational programming, and civil-rights protections. Its membership rules generally exclude attorneys who represent education agencies receiving IDEA funds, and individuals whose employment is primarily with such agencies, subject to possible board-approved exceptions. The organization also participates in national legal and legislative debates. COPAA files amicus curiae briefs in cases it considers significant to students with disabilities and their families, including matters before the U.S. Supreme Court and federal appellate courts. Its cited Supreme Court participation includes Forest Grove School District v. T.A., Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools, Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, and Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools. Its appellate advocacy has addressed questions such as the allocation of the burden of proof in IDEA proceedings, the ability of parents to represent themselves, and eligibility for tuition reimbursement. Beyond litigation, COPAA advocates before Congress and state governments on issues such as placing the burden of proof on school districts, recovering expert-witness fees for parents who prevail in IDEA disputes, and preventing abusive restraint, seclusion, and aversive interventions in schools. Its publications have examined restraint and seclusion, charter schools, school vouchers, and the effects of school-choice programs on disability rights. COPAA therefore operates less like a conventional consumer brand and more like a specialized professional and civil-rights network whose value lies in expertise, training, community, and policy influence.
History
COPAA was established in 1998 by S. James Rosenfeld as an independent national association for parents of children with disabilities, attorneys, advocates, and related professionals. Its formation reflected a need for a coordinated professional and parent network focused on special-education law and the practical difficulties families face when seeking services under IDEA and related civil-rights statutes. From the beginning, COPAA's role was principally supportive rather than that of a conventional law firm. It did not generally take individual clients or represent parents directly. Instead, it sought to improve the quality and availability of representation by connecting families with attorneys and advocates, giving practitioners specialized training, and distributing information about educational rights and legal procedures. The organization also created opportunities for members to exchange strategies and resources through an online community, conferences, webinars, and roundtables. A major part of COPAA's development has been its participation in national litigation. It has filed amicus briefs in significant cases involving the rights of students with disabilities, including Forest Grove School District v. T.A., Winkelman v. Parma City School District, Board of Education of New York v. Tom F., Schaffer v. Weast, Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools, Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, and Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools. These matters have covered tuition reimbursement, parental participation in IDEA litigation, the allocation of the burden of proof, the standard for an appropriate education, and the relationship between IDEA procedures and broader civil-rights claims. COPAA has also used research and publications to address emerging education-policy issues. In 2008 it issued principles opposing restraint, seclusion, and aversive interventions in schools. In 2009 it published Unsafe in the Schoolhouse, a report documenting incidents involving restraint, seclusion, and other abusive treatment of children in special education and proposing legislative safeguards. The report was later included among materials considered in a Government Accountability Office review of restraint and seclusion and received broader media attention. The association expanded its policy work into school-choice questions. A 2012 publication examined charter-school participation by students with disabilities. In 2016 it published an analysis of school-voucher programs, emphasizing differences among state programs and warning that families could lose important legal protections when educational rights were exchanged for private-school choice. In 2018, through a cooperative agreement with the National Council on Disability, COPAA served as a primary investigator on follow-up work concerning charter schools, vouchers, and the consequences of school-choice programs for students with disabilities. COPAA has advocated before Congress and state governments on reforms affecting IDEA disputes. Its policy positions have included support for shifting the burden of proof to school districts, efforts to restore or expand recovery of expert-witness fees for parents who prevail in IDEA cases, and stronger protections against harmful school restraint and seclusion practices. The organization has also provided comparisons of successive IDEA statutory frameworks and other practical tools for parents and professionals. Governance is vested in a 22-member Board of Directors, with board selection intended to reflect the diversity and experience of COPAA's membership network. Volunteers remain central to the association's work, supported by organizational staff. The referenced profile describes a membership of more than 3,400 people across every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and several territories. COPAA remains an active national network centered on disability rights, special-education law, family participation, and professional capacity-building.
- 2023
Supreme Court advocacy in Perez v. Sturgis
[1]COPAA supports arguments concerning access to civil-rights remedies without requiring IDEA exhaustion when the requested relief is unavailable under IDEA.
- 2018
Direct litigation and National Council on Disability research
[1]COPAA undertakes its first litigation on behalf of members and serves as a primary investigator for National Council on Disability research on school-choice programs.
- 2017
Supreme Court advocacy in Fry and Endrew F.
[1]COPAA participates as amicus in two important Supreme Court matters involving IDEA standards and the relationship between IDEA procedures and disability-rights claims.
- 2016
Voucher-program report
[1]COPAA publishes an examination of school-voucher programs and their possible effects on the legal protections available to students with disabilities.
- 2012
Charter-school disability-rights analysis
[1]COPAA publishes an early analysis of charter schools and the participation and rights of students with disabilities.
- 2009
Unsafe in the Schoolhouse is published
[1]COPAA publishes a report documenting incidents involving restraint, seclusion, and other abusive interventions affecting children in special education.
- 2008
Principles opposing restraint and seclusion
[1]COPAA publishes principles opposing restraint, seclusion, and aversive interventions in schools serving children with disabilities.
- 1998
COPAA is founded
[1]S. James Rosenfeld establishes the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates as an independent national nonprofit association supporting families and professionals in special-education advocacy.
Products and positioning
A national, parent-centered disability-rights and special-education advocacy network that strengthens the ability of families, attorneys, and advocates to secure legally compliant and effective education for students with disabilities.
Professional education
Annual National Conference
A recurring training and networking event for parents, special-education attorneys, advocates, and related professionals. The conference addresses advocacy practice, litigation techniques, educational programming, and developments in disability law.
Education and training
Webinars and online training
Remote educational programs covering special-education rights, advocacy methods, legal issues, and practical support for families and professionals. The programs help parents and newer attorneys understand IDEA-related processes and available remedies.
Referral and information service
Attorney and advocate directory
A resource intended to help families locate attorneys and nonlawyer advocates with experience in special-education matters. COPAA provides the network and information rather than acting as counsel for individual parents.
Professional network
Online member community
A peer-oriented community through which members can exchange information, legal resources, practical strategies, and referrals related to the education and civil rights of students with disabilities.
Research and publications
Policy reports and legal resources
COPAA publishes analyses, declarations, comparisons, and practical tools addressing IDEA, restraint and seclusion, charter schools, vouchers, and other issues affecting students with disabilities and their families.
Brand decisions
2018
Move into direct litigationStrategyBackground
After years of relying mainly on training, amicus briefs, and policy advocacy, COPAA concluded that government agencies were not adequately enforcing the civil rights of students with disabilities and their families.
Action taken
The organization pursued litigation on behalf of its members for the first time in its history.
Aftermath
The move expanded COPAA's role from supporting litigation and public policy to directly pursuing selected legal claims.
Recent events
- 2023
COPAA participates as amicus in Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools[1]
Other
COPAA argued that a student seeking civil-rights relief unavailable under IDEA should not be required to exhaust IDEA administrative remedies before bringing the relevant claim.
- 2018
COPAA files its first litigation on behalf of members[1]
Other
After roughly two decades of primarily amicus, training, and policy work, COPAA took direct litigation action because it believed public agencies were failing to enforce the civil rights of students with disabilities and their families.
- 2018
COPAA contributes to National Council on Disability school-choice research[1]
Other
Under a cooperative agreement with the National Council on Disability, COPAA served as a primary investigator for research examining charter schools, vouchers, and their implications for students with disabilities.
- 2017
COPAA participates as amicus in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District[1]
Other
COPAA argued that an individualized education program must be appropriately ambitious in light of a child's circumstances and should address the child's educational needs in a way that supports meaningful progress.
- 2017
COPAA participates as amicus in Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools[1]
Other
The organization contributed to litigation concerning when claims involving students with disabilities must proceed through IDEA administrative-exhaustion procedures.
Sources1 sources
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