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DRAFT — not yet reviewed by legal counsel

Legal Disclaimer

Last updated: 2026-04-23

Gardenia is NOT a law firm and does NOT provide legal advice. The Service — including all letters, templates, AI analyses, curriculum content, and consults — is educational and advocacy-support information. Using Gardenia does not create an attorney–client relationship with Gardenia Joy, LLC, with Nicole Burch, or with any consultant or advocate on the platform.

What Gardenia is

Gardenia is a private software service that:

  • Teaches parents about their legal rights under IDEA, Section 504, FERPA, and related laws, in plain English.
  • Helps parents draft letters using templates based on those rights.
  • Provides AI-assisted analyses of documents parents upload — for organization and understanding, not for legal judgment.
  • Connects parents with experienced advocates for paid 1:1 consults and async Q&A.

What Gardenia is NOT

Gardenia is not:

  • A law firm. No one on the platform, including Nicole Burch, is acting as your attorney unless you have a separate written representation agreement.
  • A source of legal advice for your specific case. The Service provides general educational information. Whether and how a legal principle applies to your specific situation depends on facts and law that the Service cannot fully evaluate.
  • A substitute for a bar-admitted attorney in situations that require one — including (but not limited to) due process hearings, federal court actions, complex mediations, contract disputes, and matters involving custody, criminal law, or immigration.
  • A medical, psychological, or educational-diagnostic service. AI analyses of psychological evaluations, behavior reports, and similar documents are for organizational use and are not clinical opinions. Diagnoses, clinical conclusions, and educational eligibility determinations must come from qualified professionals.

When you should consult a lawyer

Consider consulting a special-education attorney — licensed in the state where your child attends school — in any of the following situations:

  • You are considering (or have been served with) a due process complaint.
  • A state complaint, mediation, or hearing has resulted in a decision you want to appeal.
  • The district has denied a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and the remedy requires more than a letter.
  • Your child has been subjected to disciplinary action (suspension, expulsion, or a manifestation-determination review) where the stakes exceed what you can resolve informally.
  • You have been sued, threatened with a lawsuit, or served with legal process related to your child's education.
  • The dispute involves custody, another parent's rights, or a non-parent caregiver.
  • The dollar amount at stake (private school placement, compensatory services) exceeds what you can comfortably risk.

Resources for finding a qualified attorney include the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (copaa.org), your state's Protection and Advocacy (P&A) agency (ndrn.org), and your state Parent Training & Information Center (parentcenterhub.org).

On the letters Gardenia generates

Letter templates generated by Gardenia are drafts. Before you send any letter:

  • Read the full letter carefully.
  • Verify every fact in it — dates, names, addresses, citations.
  • Make sure the letter reflects your actual situation — not just the template's default framing.
  • Consider whether the letter's tone and content are appropriate for the recipient and the relationship you want to preserve.
  • If the letter will be used in (or referenced in) a legal proceeding, have it reviewed by a licensed attorney before sending.

On AI-generated analyses

Gardenia uses artificial intelligence to summarize documents, check goals for measurability, generate concerns letters, and related tasks. These tools are intended to save you time on organizational work. They are not:

  • Legal advice.
  • Clinical opinions.
  • Guaranteed to be factually correct.
  • A substitute for professional review.

AI models can hallucinate — produce plausible-sounding content that is factually wrong. Always verify AI output against the source document before acting on it.

On consults and Ask Nicole

Nicole Burch and other advocates available on the platform are experienced parent-advocate educators and consultants. Unless disclosed otherwise in their specific profile, they are not practicing attorneys acting in a legal capacity for you. Their guidance is informational and advocacy-oriented.

Consult recordings, notes, and Ask Nicole answers are not privileged communications. If your matter involves potential litigation, speak with an attorney — separately — before sharing sensitive details in a Gardenia consult.

No outcomes are guaranteed

Gardenia cannot guarantee any specific outcome. Your child's school may or may not respond to your letters. The IEP team may or may not write the goals you request. An eligibility determination may or may not go the way you believe is correct. Special education advocacy improves the odds of a good outcome; it does not guarantee one.

On state-specific information

Gardenia uses a state catalog to surface state-specific timelines, mailing addresses, and regulations. We strive for accuracy, but state rules change and agencies occasionally move or rename offices. Before mailing any complaint, mediation request, or other formal document to a state agency, verify the current address and contact information on the state's official website. If you find out-of-date information in Gardenia, please email hello@gardenia.joy.

Contact

Questions about this Disclaimer can be directed to legal@gardenia.joy.

This disclaimer is a draft prepared for Gardenia's internal review. Pre-launch, this document should be reviewed by licensed counsel — particularly to confirm the scope of the "not legal advice" framing under the unauthorized-practice-of-law rules in each state where Gardenia operates. The "DRAFT" marker stays until that review is complete.