Last year there were a number of articles about the possibility of Baltimore school officials going to jail for failing to provide needed services to students with IEPs under the terms of a 2005 "emergency order". Well of course no one went to jail and now another year has gone by and students are still being short- changed on their IEPs. The excuse is that their are not enough service providers; the same underwhelming excuse that they used last year.
I just read this week in the Baltimore Sun that Judge Garbis has ordered tutoring in lieu of special education classes. The lawyer from Maryland Disability Law Center objected, saying that there was no guarantee that the tutors would have special education training. Judge Garbis stuck by his ruling, saying, in effect, that it was better than nothing, some students would get something out of it and it would not harm any of the students.
The outcome of this lawsuit seems to be a cautionary tale for anyone who might dare to take on a school system on behalf of more than one individual child. The original lawsuit was filed at least 20 years ago. How many students have truly benefited from this suit?
Posted by: Sue Keller | April 14, 2007 at 10:36 AM
I am very disgusted with the IEP system by the time they implement any part of the program school is over for the year. Someone needs to change the red tape to school services, why do you even need a meeting to provide services. Almost no one today can afford private schools, at tuition near the cost of a vehicle. Are there any independant private schools that provide special needs curriculum?
Posted by: Viola Herd | August 31, 2007 at 09:19 AM