Marlin entered foster care as an infant, after his parents were imprisoned for committing a violent crime.
When we met Marlin, he was in second grade, but he was several grade levels behind. Marlin suffers from ADHD and a severe form of epilepsy. Despite Marlin’s learning impairments and academic struggles, his school hadn’t approved any specialized services and did little to prevent him from repeatedly failing tests and falling farther behind. The school set Marlin up to fail.
Marlin needed an advocate to fight for a learning environment where he could thrive. Pro bono attorney Marc Goldsmith of McGuireWoods, LLP rose to the challenge. Marc advocated for comprehensive testing and assessments to identify Marlin’s challenges. The school was resistant, but Marc didn’t give up on making the case for Marlin’s future. Marc obtained one-on-one intensive support Marlin needed to learn to read, control his outbursts and begin to prosper in school.
Without the critical advocacy Marc Goldsmith brought to Marlin’s case, like many other kids in the foster care system, Marlin would have been ignored until it was too late.
