The James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy announced yesterday that it will expand its Education Advocacy Program (“EAP”) to Chicago's Rogers Park to further disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline.
Moran Center’s EAP Rogers Park Project, a two-year pilot program, will provide free educational advocacy and restorative justice to students living in and/or attending school in Rogers Park. The program is supported through an Equal Justice Works fellowship sponsored by Nike, Inc.
The Moran Center EAP advocates to ensure that children with special needs, learning disabilities, mental health challenges, and/or traumatic experiences receive an equitable education with the support and services they deserve.
EAP attorneys have represented low-income students who live in and/or attend school in Evanston, and with the launch of the Rogers Park Project, students living in and/or attending school in Rogers Park will also be eligible for the program.
The Moran Center’s legal services are free to qualified clients, but clients may be responsible for costs and fees associated with the representation, including expert fees, evaluation fees, and filing fees. Applications and information are available on the Moran Center’s website at moran-center.org.
Patrick Keenan-Devlin, Moran Center's executive director, said that this expansion demonstrates the need for programs like EAP.
“The Moran Center exists to advocate for young people who may not have anyone else to help them, and this program can help avert a serious crisis for young people with special needs whose families are already struggling to make ends meet," he said. "EAP was designed specifically to provide support for students who are experiencing difficulty in school, having issues with their special education services, or facing school exclusion, and we are so pleased to have the opportunity to expand it into the greater Chicago area.”
The project will be led by the Moran Center’s Equal Justice Works fellow, Andy Froelich. Andy has worked as an education advocate at the Moran Center since 2020 and recently graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Throughout law school, Andy advocated for children in education, child protection, and domestic relations matters through his work with Loyola’s ChildLaw Clinic and Stand Up For Each Other Chicago (SUFEO).
