There have been several people who have commented on the blog about the problems in the District 150 Special Education Program. For that reason, I thought this article would be of interest.
Special Education, Spurned Teacher Is Vindicated
A passionate fellow, this teacher warned his principal last fall that their Bronx public high school was routinely violating the rights of the most vulnerable children, those in need of special education.
Special Education, Spurned Teacher Is Vindicated
A passionate fellow, this teacher warned his principal last fall that their Bronx public high school was routinely violating the rights of the most vulnerable children, those in need of special education.
For speaking up, Mr. Lirtzman — who served as a deputy New York State comptroller before turning at age 53 to public-school teaching — saw his career ground to dust. He was denied tenure, and the principal, Grismaldy Laboy-Wilson, asked him to leave immediately. When he took his worries to the investigative arm of New York City’s Education Department, the investigators opened a file on him instead.
His vindication arrived in the mail in June.
The State Education Department investigated his charges and sent him a copy of its report. It sustained Mr. Lirtzman’s allegations, one violation of state regulations after another.
High school administrators had put unqualified teachers in charge of special education classes. They pushed these students into classes crowded with general education students.
And most egregiously, when faced with teaching vacancies, the administrators brought in a conga line of substitute teachers on “rotating” one-week stints to teach special education classes. That treads perilously close to educational malpractice.
The city’s Education Department evinced little interest in Mr. Lirtzman’s allegations in May. Now a spokeswoman says it has commenced its own investigation.
The Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, which represents principals, argues that the fault lies with the city’s Education Department, which imposes budget cuts and ever more demands on principals.
Higher-ups, they say, approved Principal Laboy-Wilson’s decisions, including placing substitute teachers in special education classrooms on a rotating basis. The principal, they say, is not at fault.
“You’re going to find that the mistakes they make up above are landing on the heads of my members,” said Ernest A. Logan, the council’s president. “This is a case in point.”
Let’s posit, as it is true, that Mr. Logan and his staff are intelligent advocates who often stand at the forefront of fighting the most unreasonable aspects of the Bloomberg Education Revolution. They offer a properly stout defense of their members. And they passed along internal department memos that indeed show education officials have turned a blind eye to special education violations, and have directed principals to make do in ways that skirt these regulations.
But those words — “inconsistent special education guidelines” — are a not-so-lovely euphemism for violating the rights of underserved children. Source
Related...
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District 150 addressing discipline for disabled students School Board puts new policy on display after warnings from state
27 comments:
Special Ed students at the school where I teacher were getting nowhere near the minutes that were indicated in their IEP. I have also dealt with several very violent students in the past two years along with other teachers in my building. I do not appreciate the rights of a 2nd grade special ed student put before my right to be safe. I am sick of having things thrown at me, being punched and kicked and then told the student needs to go through all 3 tiers of RTI before something can be done. I am not a BD teacher and do not want to be. I also have no idea what a research based "discipline intervention" is and no one else seems to either because every time there is a "problem solving" meeting on one of these students needs I am told that I need to work with them for 6-8 more weeks giving them stickers when they don't hurt me or other students. Oh---and it's my fault the test scores in 150 are low. I guess we need more inservice on how to dodge chairs and provide quality instruction at the same time. To those who say teachers just whine and offer no solutions, I have one. Get these kids out of my regular division classroom and let me do my job.
I am sorry you are having so much trouble, Anonymous. Special education does not have a "BD" disability category. Conduct disorders, or behavior disorders, are not recognized by the state of Illinois or Peoria. If it was, half the buildings would be reserved for students with behavior issues. D150 is ignoring the behaviors, thus the high count of students in classrooms who disrupt those classrooms.
D150 has teachers for BED students...behavior-emotional disorders...but that type of behavior is completely different.
D150 needs to fix these regular ed classrooms. The students need to have outcomes that are relevant and matter to the student who is disruptive and his/her family. Just leaving them in the classroom, being disruptive, is not the answer.
All of these NC folks need to first be in the classrooms of D150, before taking all of the administrative jobs and Peoria's money. They need to see what has been fostered by other NC administrators, which in fact, is no discipline at all.
Remember this article...
District 150 addressing discipline for disabled students
School Board puts new policy on display after warnings from state
District 150 is taking steps to correct a years-old problem of how it disciplines students with disabilities after warnings by the state.
Maureen Langholf, who earlier this year was named director of special education at District 150, said it has put in place more intervention procedures, provided additional social training to special education teachers, and even began placing some students in half-day programs at the Moss Avenue building that houses Peoria Alternative High School and the Adult Education Center.
"It's stopped the high number of days per child" who have been suspended, Langholf said Monday prior to the School Board putting on public display a new policy. She also acknowledged the decreased numbers are not necessarily indicative of less bad behavior.
Langholf said the goal is to help get at the root problem of why students are misbehaving and addressing it, rather than simply applying punitive measures, not to mention addressing federal law. Students also are receiving more educational services, with more than three hours in a school setting versus one hour by a tutor at home.
Under the revised discipline guidelines for students with disabilities, students may be suspended for no more than 10 days each year. After 10 days out, the district must provide educational services in accordance with that student's Individual Education Plan. Behavior intervention plans also must be established.
A special education student who carries or possesses a weapon to or at school, possesses or uses illegal drugs or inflicts serious bodily injury upon another person at school shall be placed in an alternative educational setting for no more than 45 school days, the revised policy states.
Superintendent Grenita Lathan said Monday the rules cannot prevent expulsion of a special education student.
At issue with the state has been the school district's past practice of suspending students with disabilities in increments of up to three days after they already had been suspended for 10 days, which violates federal law. It's unclear how many students were included in the citation from the state, which ranges from 2007 to 2010.
No additional staff members were hired for the changes put in place this year, though more work from teachers, administrators and special education staff is required, officials said.
"It's more work for schools, but it's part of our responsibility," said Bill Salzman, the district's director of student affairs.
The new policy, which district officials say follows the law, is expected to go before the board next month for formal adoption.
Bill Salzman needs to take his retirement pension and MOVE ON...
Special Education teachers in D150 have known all along what the state/federal rules are. D150 just was not following them, and got caught. Just like they are not following the minutes for students with IEPs. They will work on that, when the state or feds threaten funding.
This is all smoke & mirrors to make it look like they now have a policy in place. The principals in regular buildings are/were frustrated with the no discipline rule for any student, including students with IEPs. At 10 days suspension, a meeting needs to be called to either implement a Behavior Intervention Plan, or modify it. Then decisions are made accordingly.
If the behavior is directly related to the student's disability, he or she cannot be expelled without services. D150 has a lot of catching up to do with the regulations for students with IEPs.
I thought Bill Salzman was already collecting his retirement and is working in a different position in this job which allows him to do both? Is this not correct or didn't he retire?
He is yet another retired/rehired. I wonder WHY district 150 cannot find quality people and have to continually rely on people who have already spend 35-40 years collecting a paycheck. How about the retired all RETIRE, thus giving OTHERs a chance to move up into those positions and then new, young, energetic teachers could be hired....HUH?
Yes, after I posted this I realized I had said they were special ed students. They are not. Some have 504's others do not. Trying to get services for these children is next to impossible and the solutions offered are ridiculous!
Historically, the Director of Student Affairs has been a revolving door. It is a thankless position where one hears all the negative complaints about student behavior. No one in his/her right mind would want it as a stepping stone in a career ladder. The position will burn a person out in a month.
Personally, a retiree or someone who is not in the career track would be appropriate for this position.
Contrary to popular belief, there are not a great number of retirees working for Dr. Lathan.
Maybe some good information to share: How many retirees are employed in this administration?
Dr Khennedy is retired.
TerI Dunn
Dr. Khenndy
Geri Cox
Dr. Kinney
Bill Saltzman
Greg Collins
Lathan likes to keep her people vulnerable so she can control them. Hiring retired people so that they can be cut any day. Underqualified people so that she can abuse them. Damaged people with something in their past so she has dirt on them. If she feels even remotely threatened by someone's professionalism/intelligence they are gone....
Someone here should chronicle all of the revolving doors of her "cabinet" since she's been there plus the principals.
Sharon Reed
That list looks like the admins who did the dirty work, or get fired. Yes, yes, yes was always the answer when ordered to do something, even if they knew it was legally and morally wrong. Oh, wait...no, that's the BOE!
It's all of 'em!
Arthur Perkins...
Teri Dunn should not be on this list. She was not retired.
Let's try listing people who retired from 150. We have Salzman, Reed, Perkins. The others are not 150 retirees.
Dr. Kinney retired from IVC and I hate that he is in 150 only because he is a really good guy who.people do not know and he is getting dragged down with his 150 affiliation. I am glad he is there because I feel I can trust that he is doing the job and doing well.
I am so tired of the whole thing being a mess.
Teri Dunn is.
I thought Geri Cox retired from NC and then came here and she just received her type 75 Illinois certificate. Is that not correct? Collins retired from the PPD. Doesn't matter they are all still retired from either District 150 or some other place and collecting big pensions and a big paycheck.
District 150 takes advantage of parents with children in special education. Administrators know these families do not know or understand special ed law and cannot afford a lawyer or advocate to help them. There has not been a good special ed director since Dr. Matheney left. Maureen Langholf does not have the experience needed to do a quality job. She is a nice person but really does not know her stuff like she should.
Geez, complain if they are hired in from outside our area, or complain if the district is trying to develop their own leaders. Peoria Disposal is hiring.
Any update on the school board meeting tonight?
I think the complaint is the retirement issue. Many bloggers complain about teacher's pension but they don't seem to mind that adminstrators collect a pension and continue to work and collect a paycheck, and a large one at that. I don't get that logic. I don't care where they are retired from it seems wrong.
We should not be so hung-up on retires being hired in positions. It is always a good thing to have people with experience and expertise around. Yes, they should be paid, no matter whether they are receiving big pensions or not.
Most of us would be delighted if someone sought us out from retirement to take on a position that they felt only we had the prior experience. It's a good thing. Don't hate on them. Be glad you atleast have some wisdom within the chaos.
It's unfortunate that class envy has gotten so bad that folks are now hating on people who work in education and/or the public sector.
Back in the day, we thought if you were not majoring in business, law, medicine or engineering you were destined to a life of low paying careers.
Now that we see all of the money that is in education and the public sector as a whole in pensions plans and retirement plans, folks wanna hate.
Let's not. Some retired administrators should not be rehired - then there are some who have invaluable experience and should be called upon to help.
Did someone REALLY name his/her child "Grismaldy"? I mean, it was officially typed on a birth certificate, most likely uttered by a priest, rabbi, pastor, etc. in some type of ceremony..entered into a census, uttered in possible wedding vows...said while ordering pizza...listen, my maiden name was "Youngpeter" and remember well the respect it commanded when blurted out loudly by a professor in many a lecture hall in college...this one stumps me...someone enlighten me...
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