In the movie "Its a Wonderful Life" at its climatic moment Jimmy Stewart says to his hapless uncle "Do you know what this means ? Bankruptcy, scandal and jail." In Baltimore school officials may be saying the same to themselves. Court ordered compensatory services have woefully not been implemented; of 90,000 hours of service ordered less than 4,000 have been provided. While the school officials are short on services there is no shortage of excuses and finger pointing among the politicians and school administration. Contempt of court orders are possible with penalties to include jail time.
The school district is not only failing to deliver on past compensatory services, it is failing to deliver all of the current services mandated in student's IEPs. It is unfathomable how the additional and greater compensatory time will be provided, when the school system can not even make a meaningful dent in the current shortfall. The most important numbers are the 9000 students who from year to year are being short changed in their entitlement under IDEA. While many things are uncertain in this mess, the one certainty is that these children will not get this time back and important developmental opportunities have been lost.
As if service shortfalls were not bad enough, audits of the school records reveal that last year 80 students with IEPs graduated even though they did not meet graduation requirements. So current students are not receiving what they need to realize a FAPE, and at least 80 students are gone from the system without even the minimally mandated levels of education to have a fighting chance in college, vocational school or work. This is the second posting on the troubled Baltimore school system but certainly will not be the last.
When in the world is this country going to get some organization, agency or SOMEONE to oversee the special ed process in public schools in the US? Until this happens, schools will continue to think they are an entity unto themselves.
Posted by: Sherry Hollis | March 21, 2006 at 02:16 PM
The now ex-CEO of Baltimore City public schools, Bonnie Copeland, made a comment quoted in the Baltimore Sun to the effect that providing these court-mandated services to special ed. students would take money/resources away from the other students. How's that for sensitivity? Being prejudiced against kids with disabilities is apparently so ingrained a part of the American experience that Ms. Copeland didn't notice her internal censor cueing her to feel shame for uttering such blatant animosity.
All together now: if you can't complete a sentence substituting "African-American" or "homosexual" or "Hispanic" for "kids with disabilities" of which you would not be ashamed or expect public censure, then don't say it!
When you get to the point where you not only don't say such stupid things anymore, but you actually don't believe them or think them, then we'll have made some progress...
Posted by: Sue Keller | November 11, 2006 at 06:30 PM