Letter from the CEO: A Note of Gratitude as the School Year Comes to a Close

At Education Rights Counsel, we work alongside families navigating some of the most difficult moments of their child's school experience. We see students who need more support, clearer plans, different strategies, or simply a school team willing to look at the whole child. And we also see what becomes possible when the right people come together around what a student actually needs. Throughout the year, educators were foundational to our support.

The teachers, specialists, administrators, and support staff who engaged with us honestly, who brought their real knowledge of a child into the room, and who stayed solution-focused even in difficult conversations made outcomes possible that no legal process alone could achieve. Hundreds of students this year gained the services, supports, placements, or opportunities they needed. Most of those resolutions happened not through hearings or litigation, but through collaboration.

That is not a coincidence. It reflects what happens when everyone in the room is focused on the same thing: the child in front of them.

We know this work is demanding, and we know the school year is long. We are deeply grateful for every educator who met it with care, creativity, flexibility, and a genuine commitment to students, especially the students whose needs are often the hardest to meet.

Every year, ERC honors educators who are building belonging, innovation, and inclusion in meaningful ways across Nebraska schools.

Nominations are now open for the 2026 Debora Basler Wisneski Inclusive Innovation in Education Award.

Help us discover bold, compassionate educators who are creating spaces where every child is seen, heard, and valued.