Law for parents

Ashley VanCleef is not only an experienced education law attorney but also holds a degree in special education.  Ashley has served students with disabilities as special education teacher, school and state level administrator, and school attorney.  Prior to forming Law for Parents, Ashley's experience as a special education attorney included that as staff attorney for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland, as well as Supervisor and 504 Coordinator for the MCPS Resolution and Compliance Unit. While in MCPS, Ashley instituted informal, collaborative solutions to assist families and school system staff to resolve concerns through the least adversarial means focusing on win-win resolutions.  As an attorney for parents, she continues to find dynamic approaches to resolving concerns with student-focused outcomes. 

Ashley's experience also includes serving as as a resource teacher for middle schools, nonpublic schools, and compliance in Howard County Public Schools in Maryland.  She provided training for special educators on instructional frameworks and interventions, administration of the Woodcock Johnson educational assessment, writing/conducting individualized education programs (IEPs), and compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Additionally, she worked as a case manager for students placed in nonpublic settings and served as a member of the Central Educational Placement Team (CEPT).

Prior to moving to Maryland, Ashley worked for the state departments of education in both Texas and Oklahoma. Her many duties included compliance monitoring of school districts, technical assistance for families to access the dispute resolution options of IDEA, state complaint investigations, and providing statewide training on special education requirements.

Ashley stays current on instructional practices and has completed 60 hours of Orton Gillingham training through Bowman's Orton Gillingham Plus intervention.  She works with multiple groups to provide professional learning on federal and state education requirements.  She is a former adjunct faculty member of Morgan State University where she taught Legal Aspects of Educational Administration and has been a guest lecturer for many other colleges.  Ashley is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, International Dyslexia Association, and Learning Disabilities Association. In her spare time, Ms. VanCleef enjoys spending time in with her family, participating in Bible studies, playing tennis, and running.