STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Complaints made to the city's teachers union last year show that schools are struggling to keep up with the Department of Education's overhaul of special education. According to a report in Chalkbeat New York, the number of special education complaints made by teachers and professionals during the fall of 2013 was up 60 percent from...
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Complaints made to the city's teachers union last year show that schools are struggling to keep up with the Department of Education's overhaul of special education.
According to a report in Chalkbeat New York, the number of special education complaints made by teachers and professionals during the fall of 2013 was up 60 percent from the year before. There were more than 150 complaints related to special education that were filed citywide with the United Federation of Teachers last fall, which the union then reported to the Department of Education, the website reported.
According to the Chalkbeat report, PS 44 in Mariners Harbor modified the IEP (Individual Learning Plan) for some special-needs students last year so that they could be moved into general-education classes. That led to general-education classes where 19 out of 32 students had disabilities, leaving teachers "overwhelmed" and unable to meet their needs.
And Curtis High School packed too many students with disabilities into special education classes, exceeding the limit. According to the Chalkbeat report, Curtis had 41 classes that exceeded the limits.
Other complaints from throughout the city said that students were not getting any or all of the services mandated in their IEP, such as speech therapy, small-group lessons or paraprofessionals. Most of the complaints were quickly resolved, the report noted.
"We review any issues raised by educators in our schools and work to address them proactively and immediately," DOE spokesman Harry Hartfield told the website.
PERVASIVE PROBLEMS
Still, the teacher complaints are indicative of some of the pervasive problems within the DOE's Office of Special Education and its ambitious "Shared Plan for Success" to reform the system
As reported in the Advance, a central policy shift in the "Shared Plan for Success" reform is "home-zoning" of special education students.
In the past, a student with a particular special need would often be placed at a school with the resources best suited to meet that need.Under the reform, the student remains at his or her zoned school and the school is now responsible for providing the service.
While the intended benefit is to keep students close to home, problems frequently surface when the school does not have the required programs or staffing in place. The reform is aimed at "home-zoning" all students, except the most extreme cases, which are shifted to an appropriate District 75 special education school.
But special education staff, parents and advocates complain that resources are scarce; parents say their children are not being served, and some say their child's individualized education plan (IEP) isn't being followed. Those responsible for delivering services to students in need complain they are mired in bureaucratic paperwork, hampering their efforts.
In June the Advance revealed that the citywide special ed CEO lacked credentials; had no state license in supervision or administration and no classroom experience in special education. In August the Advance also reported that several key special ed staffers lacked credentials and/or experience for their positions.
Last month the Advance reported the appointment of Christina Foti, an educator with experience as a special education teacher and administrator, as the new CEO of special education.