Regarding the news that the U.S. Supreme Court has raised the bar for the educational benefits owed to millions of children with disabilities [see News Briefs on page 20]: Public schools need funding to be able to provide for the large population of students who are disabled in some way. Unfortunately, raising the bar can’t apply to every child’s situation in theory due to the U.S. secretary of education’s stance on charter and private schools.
If I pull my special needs child out of public school thinking a charter school has better equipped facilities to help the child and later regret my decision and put the child back into public school, the funding for this student stays at the charter and now the public school eats the high cost of this very demanding special needs student. If the funding goes with the child with every change of schools it may work, but I don’t see that occurring.
Alison Katz, PS 340, Manhattan (via Facebook)
* * *
How about providing the support necessary to reach high goals? The DOE uses self-contained classrooms as a dumping ground for students whom it doesn’t want to deal with. It puts them in a classroom that isn’t properly appointed to meet the needs of struggling learners. There is no technology, no leveled texts, no reading intervention (in middle schools), no adaptive furnishings — the list goes on. I’m very disappointed in the tone of this ruling.
Robin Plummer, IS 118, Bronx (via Facebook)
* * *
An Individualized Education Program (IEP) should be funded to adequately educate to that child’s need.
Naomi M. Lucas, District 75 (via Facebook)