Greenfield’s Urgent Meeting To Discuss Special Ed Issues

With school back in session, many parents with special needs children are facing new efforts from the Department of Education (DOE) to limit resources for their children. To confront the harmful effects of these cuts, Councilman David Greenfield recently held a meeting with several dozen community and special education leaders to discuss emerging problems in special education and to gather feedback directly from parents on how best to address these issues. The participants included representatives from Tafkid, Ease Advocates, Agudath Israel, Bonim Lamakom, Gesher Yehuda, Reach for the Stars, Shema Koleinu, Lev Uvois, Building Blocks, Step, Yaldeinu and other parent and school groups.

The law requires the DOE to place students with disabilities in programs suited to their special needs. When the DOE is not able to find a proper placement for a student within a public school, parents may request placement within a private school and seek full or partial reimbursement for the school’s tuition. The law also obligates the DOE to provide related services—occupational, physical and other types of therapies—to students who require them. Unfortunately, it seems like the DOE has not been following the law.

“Parents of special needs children already work hard to ensure that their children get a good education,” explained Councilman Greenfield. “The DOE is simply placing stumbling blocks in front of them and is making it even harder for parents to ensure that their special needs children receive the education and services that they are entitled to.”

As recently as this spring, Mayor Bloomberg sought to restrict the number of private placements for students by shifting the legal burden of proof from the DOE to families who are seeking tuition reimbursement. The mayor testified in Albany in favor of these new mandates for families, and Councilman Greenfield responded by leading a delegation of community advocates to protest this change, including representatives from UJO of Williamsburg, Agudath Israel of America, Ichud, Ptach, the Sephardic Community Federation, Ohr HaLimud, Tafkid, YAI and TEACH NYS.

Now, the DOE is telling some families that it intends to challenge tuition reimbursements for special needs students in private schools, and it may also cut off physical therapy and other related services for students placed in private schools. The DOE is essentially saying that if these parents seek tuition reimbursement they will lose their related services. This is unfair because related services can cost in the tens of thousands of dollars per year.

The other issues on the meeting’s agenda included reduced access to related services, protracted litigation battles with the DOE over reimbursement issues, lack of clarity surrounding the rights of students and parents, and the prohibitive costs of educating special needs children without the DOE’s help.

The group planned to reconvene to discuss access to related services in greater depth. They will also begin a campaign calling on the mayor and the schools chancellor to stop employing policies that prevent parents and children from getting educational resources that the law guarantees.

“I was elected to represent every segment of the population. Special needs students and their families need special attention and that’s why I have made advocacy on their behalf a priority and will continue to do so in the upcoming school year,” Greenfield concluded.