Equal access issues have historically been a large part of ELC’s work. Access issues involve either the total exclusion of a child from school, or the exclusion of some groups of children from services and programs they need to succeed.

Our work in this area includes fighting against unfair residency rules that impact children experiencing homelessness and those in foster care, refusals to fully include children with disabilities, the failure to address language barriers affecting immigrant students and English learners, bias against LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming students, and the denial of education to children in residential placements. With the rapidly changing nature of public education taking place today, ELC’s vigilance in protecting children against illegal barriers is more critical than ever.