Our son is on the autism spectrum and had a really bad year for 3rd grade in the Fulton County School System. We enlisted the help of Allison to ensure we were fully leveraging state law and the IEP process in getting our son the best services and help to maximize his potential. The best way I would describe Allison is that she is a “bull dog” -- in a very positive way. She acted with a sense of urgency and just the right amount of firmness in dealing with us and the school system to as quickly as possible get our son back on the path of improvement through the IEP process. She is very thorough, organized, professional and appropriately aggressive. We also ended up getting some school system provided tutoring to help make up for the lost year. In sum, Allison is very knowledgeable of Special Education laws and rules and we highly recommend her to anyone who has a special needs child struggling within the public school system.
S.G., Parent Cherokee County
Our son has had an IEP for years, then the administration changed at our school and everything was forgotten. We had many meetings and exchanged emails with the school system where they promised to get back on track. After numerous attempts and noncompliance we decided to seek out representation. Our friend recommended Allison to us to help get our sons education back on track. At first I was nervous about bringing a lawyer into the situation. Allison was able to get a quick resolution to our problem and was very helpful in making sure that our son had the correct supports in place. I wish I done this earlier. We are now in a new school year and my son is having one of the best experiences in years.
J.B., Parent Cobb County
Allison represented our family in 2012 to assist us in securing an appropriate education plan for our 11-year-old autistic son. Thanks to Allison we were able to reach an agreement with the school district in mediation, and my son will finally be given the education he deserves. When I notified the school that Allison would be attending our IEP, they finally stood up and listened, 14 employees to the IEP table! Allison is knowledgeable, organized, and professional. I wish I would have found her years ago and will definitely employ her in the future.
C.R., Parent Rockdale County
Allison has been a blessing in our family for my 10 year son who
has autism. A lot of changes are currently being made in the county we
live in that I feel is a direct result of her representing us for the past 2
years. My son has now received the help he should have got from the very
first year of kindergarten. Allison is very knowledgeable in her
profession and will stand up for our children to see that they are getting what
the law says they are entitled to. My only regret is not having her
representation sooner. I can't express how valuable she is to anyone
needing a great Special Education Attorney!
G.G., Parent Cobb County
Allison is just incredible! She helped me when my daughters transitioned into the special needs public pre-k with invaluable advice, help and guidance when I hit a snag in the process. She asked me what I wanted for my children instead of a "one-size-fits-all" education plan. She armed me with knowledge of the IEP process and found documentation to back up what I wanted for my girls. I had a successful and easy transition, and it was 100% thanks to Allison! I highly recommend her as an attorney and as a genuinely good human being!
Anonymous, Ph.D., Certified School Psychologist
As an education professional, I have had the privilege of using Allison
Vrolijk as a resource on educational law. She has been helpful and
forthright with her answers, and the information she has provided has
been invaluable. Additionally, I have referred parents to her that have
let me know how very pleased they were with Allison's professional
skills and service, as well as the results she was able to obtain for
their children. I recommend Allison without hesitation.
Debbie Dobbs, MS, Educational Child Advocate and Health Care Consultant
Allison is a compassionate and hands on attorney who gives excellent
advice. She works hard to negotiate solutions where all parties are
pleased. She is a very intelligent and extremely detail oriented
individual who doesn't lose site on the big picture.
A.S., Parent Cobb County
We hired Allison to represent us as our attorney to resolve placement
issues ( special needs) with County Education board. Her ability to
understand our needs, concerns coupled with our indepth knowledge of the
Georgia School systems has helped us resolve issues and reach an
amicable solution ( our target results) in 2009 and 2010. We have a lot
of faith and trust in her judgement. We have and will continue to work
with her.
J.D., Esq., Parent Bibb County
My wife and I hired Allison in 2009 to help us obtain the most
appropriate placement and education for our two special needs sons. I am
a lawyer myself, and after briefly consulting with Allison, I knew she
was the best choice of representation. Indeed, it was without hesitation
that we hired Allison and it is without hesitation that I write this
recommendation. Allison is a talented and gifted lawyer with a kind
heart, great mind, and superior knowledge of the field of special
education. I heartily commend her services to anyone in need of
navigating the special education maze.
T.B., Parent Atlanta Public Schools Charter School
My daughter was having a terrible year with a teacher who refused to follow her 504 accomodation plan which required enlarging the text for her work in the classroom and homework. The teacher did not believe that vision affected my daughter's learning. When my efforts to work with the teacher failed, I went to the principal. The principal advised me that if I felt the school was out of compliance, I was welcome to hire an attorney or file a complaint. I was shocked and saddened, but I took her advice and found Allison Vrolijk to help me. Allison quickly assessed my daughter's records and made all of the necessary adjustments to request a change of venue to Special Education rather than a 504 plan. The school came into compliance shortly thereafter and my daughter got back on track academically and began to thrive. I highly recommend Allison as knowledgeable, compassionate, and dedicated. She was instrumental in helping me to get the right assessments done to demonstrate additional needs, and in getting my child the services that she needed to succeed at her school. Thank you, Allison!
S.L., Parent Forsyth County
Allison is
fabulous. She is the perfect mix of assertiveness without alienating
the staff. Her attention to detail and professional demeanor are keys
to her effectiveness. We highly recommend her services and if we had to
do it over again, would hire her rather than fumble around with
advocates or trying to handle things ourself. She is very effective, and
we are all fortunate to have her services in the Atlanta area. Our
children are much better off with a true professional who is
well-received.
C.D., Parent Habersham County
For close to three years, our family fought with the school
system in Habersham county and only when Allison was directly involved did the
issues at hand get resolved. Our child has a seizure disorder that requires a
very well organized IEP and continuous Para-Professional assistance. We had
involved the Epilepsy Foundation, local group support and the staff at the
local school for assistance, but had to meet with the Director of Special
Education for every IEP-at her request to decide placement. Every request was
denied and our son was targeted to be placed in a containment room because he
had epilepsy. Allison took our case at this point. Her first IEP with us was
almost 4 hours dealing with the ignorance that ours and most school systems
have. Since that time, our son has been given the proper attention for his
disability, and the tools required to further his education. Before involvement
of Allison the assistive technology was not researched, nor attempted. Our
child had met and surpassed almost all goals on his IEPs since then. It is
great when you can force a change.
S.T., Parent Fulton County
We highly recommend Allison. She has the professionalism and experience to do what is in the best interest of the child. She understands the law but more importantly how it applies and works in relation to the role of the school system. We can't thank her enough for all she has done for our family.
R.C., Parent Gwinnett County
After spending years of trying to work with the schools for a proper IEP
for my son, we were getting nowhere and my son was not getting the
“fair and appropriate” education he deserved. Most of our IEP meetings
felt more like attacks against what we needed for our son than meetings
to improve his education. We had tried using educators as guides and
even hired an advocate but we still did not get what was needed. The
way things were going my son was going to be “left behind” and I do not
believe he would have finished school. Then I met Allison. The first
time I spoke to her I spent much of the call crying in frustration and
thankful that I had found someone who not only listened to me, but gave
me hope. Allison made me feel like my son was hers and that she would
do all it would take to help. Thanks to Allison we got everything we
needed and my son graduated last spring having raised his GPA from a 1.6
to a 3.2 and is now going on to college. Thank you Allison for
helping my son, I do not think we could have found a better attorney.
D.S., Parent Fulton County
My husband and I really appreciated
Ms. Vrolijk's ability to help us re-establish a positive, working
relationship our school. Once everyone's defenses were down, we
were better empowered to work collaboratively with school
personnel to creatively design an educational plan that fit the unique
needs of our son.