We’re so pleased to feature Atlee Reilly, Esq., the winner of our Educator Award at the 2025 Champions for Children Giraffe Awards Luncheon.
✨ Atlee will be recognized at the 2025 Giraffe Awards Luncheon. Join us for a morning of celebration, community, and joy!
📅 Tuesday, November 18 | 11:00 AM
📍 Maple Hill Farm Inn & Conference Center, Hallowell
🎟 Tickets and sponsorships are available now—tap the link below to snag 'em!
2025 Champions for Children- Sponsorship & Ticket Sales by Maine Children's Alliance
From nomination form -
Since joining Disabilities Rights Maine (DRM) 13 years ago, Atlee has been a steady, fearless voice for children in Maine. As an attorney, he has devoted his career to standing beside children and families, especially those who are most often left out or pushed aside. What makes Atlee extraordinary is not only the impact of his work but the compassion, persistence, and courage he brings to every child and family he serves. Families know they can count on him, not just for his skill and knowledge, but for his deep kindness and belief in every child’s potential.
From MCA -
Born and raised in Texas, Atlee Reilly moved to Maine, the first time, to attend Bowdoin College. After his time in Brunswick, Atlee joined the Teach for America program and taught special education and 5th grade at an elementary school in Phoenix, AZ, earning a master’s degree in education from Arizona State University along the way.
While teaching, Atlee began to see firsthand the systemic barriers his students—especially those with disabilities—faced every day. Determined to make change at a structural level, he decided to pursue law at the University of Minnesota, where he earned his JD in 2007 Following law school, Atlee gained experience in both private and public practice, working at the School Law Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, and as an attorney with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services through an Equal Justice Works Fellowship.
Atlee and his wife began to look for a path to return to Maine, and when the right opportunity arose - educational advocacy at Disability Rights Maine - they moved back to the Northeast in 2012 to put down roots.
Today, Atlee serves as Managing Attorney at Disability Rights Maine (DRM) , where he has been championing the rights of children since 2012. A core part of his work involves empowering parents to advocate effectively for their children and youth to advocate for themselves. He prepares parents for IEP meetings and ensures families understand the rights their children are legally entitled to. When these efforts are not successful, he represents students and their families in administrative proceedings and in court to enforce their right to equal access to educational opportunities.
Atlee and DRM also played a central role in the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Maine, which stemmed from when DRM filed a complaint in 2019. The complaint alleged that “Maine violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide children with behavioral health services that would allow them to avoid unnecessary institutionalization.” The Justice Department later found that “Maine unnecessarily segregates children with mental health and/or developmental disabilities, in psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment facilities, and a state-operated juvenile detention facility.“ The State ultimately settled with the Department of Justice and agreed to a series of reforms ensuring that children with behavioral health needs can access community-based services and avoid institutional settings such as Long Creek, the state’s juvenile facility. Most recently, Atlee and DRM have continued to speak out against efforts to weaken the 2024 settlement agreement.
When he’s not advocating for Maine’s children, Atlee enjoys the outdoors with his wife and son. Together, they can be found in a canoe on Merrymeeting Bay, planting fruit trees in Bowdoinham, and exploring the mountains of Western Maine.
Thank you, Atlee, for all you do for Maine kids!