SPLIT TOPIC: Special education and the City Council race

pokersloper

reader,

You wrote,

"His initial recommendation from the local CSE was NPS [non public school]..." I must say, I can't ever recall a time that a student was recommended by the schools for a non public school placement. This makes me wonder why? Considering that the recommendation came from the schools, it makes sense that you would not need a lawyer. Most of the Carter cases I worked on, it was my impression that the parents were either lawyered up or could be soon.

"Unfortunately this means my child is bused out of the neighborhood and missed out on the neighborhood school experience." This is unfortunate. Where I grew up, we all took the bus to school as a by product of civil rights legislation.

I know that different schools in my district offer different services and different facilities. I don't expect the city to offer a perfect school for every child in every neighborhood, but I do expect that politicians work hard making it so that every child has an appropriate seat within a reasonable distance.

I agree with you about the quality of DOE testing. My colleagues, for the most part, do a great job.

pokersloper

Mr. Skaller, if you wish to partcipate in this thread that you started, here are some questions from a voter:

1. Do you support school vouchers, or are you like most Democrats who are against vouchers?

2. Aren't Carter cases pretty much the same thing as school vouchers?

3. Does your family receive tuition reimbursement to send your child to private school?

4. How do special education services fail children in your district and what will you do to improve the schools and prevent the need for future Carter cases?

5. Why doesn't your education platform say a single word about special education?

6. If public officials were required to send their children to public school, don't you think the public schools would be forced to improve?

7. If elected, will you educate the public, in ways such as holding workshops, so that families with children with special needs can move their children out of the public schools and into private schools? For example, will you help families fill out paperwork and find lawyers so that their children with special needs may attend private school?

pokersloper

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/33/32_33_gk_39rd_debate_online_now.html

It is interesting that when talking about Josh Skaller, one of the candidates, Gary Reily, states that sending your child to private school is fine because parents have the right to go out of their pocket for this expense. Wow, it just shows how deeply ignorant all of the candidates are on the topic of special education and tuition reimbursement. One of the largest growing education expenses in the city is paying for children to attend private school and these guys don't even know it. The reporters didn't even seem aware. What a joke.

pokersloper

With comments like this, Bill de Blasio is already missed.

Statement from Bill de Blasio on Special Education Services
http://www.billdeblasio.com/node/342

June 9th, 2009

"The departure of Garth Harries from special education services, who was hired despite having no special education background, highlights the fact that the Department of Education needs to do more for special education students," said Council Member Bill de Blasio. "Many families with special needs children have been forced to go to court just to secure their right to a quality, public education. Countless parents across New York City have voiced frustration about the unmet needs of their children. The Department of Education should hire a coordinator for special education who has extensive experience in this field as a first step toward addressing the many inequalities that these families face in our public education system."

jeffrey

Bob Zuckerman's latest ad, attempting to play upon recent bickering between Lander and Skaller campaigns:

pokersloper

The Zuckster is showing a little kick.