Sarah L. Garcia is the Office Managing Partner of Lozano Smith's San Luis Obispo Office. Ms. Garcia specializes in Special Education and Student law.
Experience
Her representation has included prevailing on behalf of school district clients as both Petitioner and Respondent before OAH and supporting those cases through successful appeals at the Ninth Circuit. Representative cases on which Ms. Garcia prevailed included issues related to least restrictive environment, the district's right to assess, deaf education, appropriateness of IEP goals, appropriateness of District assessments, behavior support, inclusion, requests for private schools and private services, and the appropriateness of related services offered including ABA, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and assistive technology support.
Prior to joining Lozano Smith, Ms. Garcia worked as Special Counsel in the San Francisco area where she represented school districts in due process hearings, expulsion proceedings, special education mediations, and on-site OCR investigations.
Presenter Experience
Ms. Garcia has presented at the ACSA Special Education Symposium on a variety of topics including Deaf Education, Serving Students in the Least Restrictive Environment, and Language Access. Additionally, she was the keynote speaker for the first ever Stanislaus County Autism Conference. She presents annually at Lozano Smith's Special Education Legal Consortium and regularly for districts and SELPAs.
Education
Ms. Garcia teaches a School Law course in the Mills College graduate program.
In episode two of our series on Artificial Intelligence for Public Agencies and School Districts, we delve into the ways AI is revolutionizing the field of special education. Join Lozano Smith attorneys Karen M. Rezendes, Sarah L. Garcia, and Karina Demirchyan as they discuss how AI technologies are enabling a more inclusive learning environment and creating more equitable educational opportunities for students with diverse needs. We also discuss real-world applications and success stories involving AI, ethical considerations, and our future outlook regarding AI tools in special education.
In this Lozano Smith Podcast episode, host Sloan Simmons talks with Lozano Smith special education Partner Sarah Garcia and special education attorney Kaitlyn Tucker about the nuances and options when responding to student behavior, including imposition of student discipline and other options, in the special education context.
In a wide ranging discussion on a sensitive and challenging topic, Devon Lincoln discusses the law regarding the use of restraints in school with special education attorneys Sarah Garcia and Roxana Khan. The attorneys discuss real world experiences, the law that applies in this area, and how staff and administrators can best approach these difficult issues.
