Claire Blumenson

organization overview

The mission of the School Justice Project is to protect and enforce the special education rights of older students during incarceration and throughout reentry. As education attorneys, we provide direct representation and legal advocacy to court-involved youth ages 17-22 with special education needs to ensure they are afforded quality education and transition services. We envision a system wide overhaul that redefines the education landscape for these students. As the only organization of its kind, SJP aims to dismantle systemic barriers and force urban juvenile justice and school systems to address the unmet needs of this ignored population.

Personal Bio

Claire has focused her career on the intersection of juvenile justice and education. After graduating from University of Virginia Law in 2011, Claire joined the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia as an Equal Justice Works Fellow. Through this fellowship, Claire provided post-disposition special education representation to students ages 18-22 who had been placed in DC’s secure juvenile facility. To continue this work, she co-founded and launched School Justice Project (SJP) in August 2013 thanks to seed funding from Echoing Green’s Black Male Achievement Fellowship. SJP is a DC-based special education legal services nonprofit for older court-involved students with disabilities.

Claire received her Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University, majoring in government, sociology, and psychology. After joining Teach for America’s New York City cohort in 2006, Claire earned her master’s degree while teaching third and fourth grade at Excellence Boys Charter School. From 2016-2020, Claire was an adjunct professor The George Washington University Law School.

Claire is an attorney admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.