School Board Addresses Special Education Complaints

By Eliza Hallabeck

The Board of Education discussed the call by Newtown’s two state representatives, DebraLee Hovey and Christopher Lyddy, for the Connecticut Department of Education to investigate the school district’s Special Education Department for the first time in public since the claim was filed, during its meeting on Tuesday, June 7.

School board Chair William Hart said he would welcome an investigation that would either pinpoint areas where the district could improve special education practices or celebrate what the district is doing right.

After discussion by multiple board members and Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson, the board concluded that without specific cases being brought before it by either the state representatives or parents, it could make no decision to move forward.

However, Mr Hart asked Dr Robinson to have Special Education Director Michael Regan prepare an in-depth report on the Special Education Department to be presented to the school board for a review. While the state Department of Education has yet to decide what to do regarding the state representatives’ call for a review, Mr Hart said if the state decides on an action before Mr Regan can finalize his report for the school board, the report will be put on hold in favor of focusing on the state’s course of action.

Rep Hovey and Rep Lyddy filed for a state audit of the district’s Special Education Department after receiving concerns from dozens of parents, some accusing the district of altering official documents to remove services initially agreed upon or promised during planning and placement team (PPT) meetings, while other parents said the district said services would be taken away from more needy students in order to provide those services to their child.

The request for a state audit was filed at the end of May, following meetings between at least one or both of the state representatives and either Dr Robinson and Mr Hart and parents.

Dr Robinson explained she has been working with a group of special education parents since last year to improve the district’s communication practices with parents. A parent advisory group was formed, and some events, like a special screening of the movie Race To Nowhere, were held in the district for parents.

“I feel like we have been doing a great deal,” said Dr Robinson, “but I am not being defensive about that.”

Through meetings with Rep Hovey, Dr Robinson said the two have been discussing growth in the district since March.

“Mike Regan and I have received no specific information,” Dr Robinson said. “We still don’t know anything specific about this.”

No specific cases were brought to the district’s attention formally. No specific cases were brought to the district’s attention formally, according to Dr Robinson. (See related story in this week’s edition of The Bee, on how parents are encouraged to bring forward specific complaints.)

During a May 16 meeting with Rep Hovey, Mr Hart said he heard no specific complaints, either. He also said Rep Hovey used information provided to her by an unspecified expert, and he was not informed of how many complaints were made to either Rep Hovey or Rep Lyddy until the numbers were reported by The Bee. The letters that were sent to the state by the representatives were also not sent to either Dr Robinson or Mr Hart, according to the school board chair, before Mr Hart requested a copy of them.

The Board of Education met on May 17, the day following Mr Hart’s informal meeting with Rep Hovey, and he said he was negligent in not reporting the meeting to the board, but did not do so due to the informal nature of the meeting.

“I have certainly been concerned, and I have started the process of reaching out to special education parents,” said Mr Hart.

Since the request for an audit was filed with the state, Mr Hart said he has been busy gathering much more information on special education in Newtown than he knew three weeks ago.

Dr Robinson said Mr Regan takes pride in the services the district provides.

“And we are reviewed, what we call a desk review, every year,” said Dr Robinson, “and we have been 100 percent compliant. In terms of the regulations, we take these things very seriously. And if there is an area that we have not been up to par, we want to know what that is.”

The district, Dr Robinson said, is waiting to hear from anyone regarding specific concerns.

Board of Education Secretary Andrew Buzzi said he was on the board when Mr Regan was hired, and remembers Mr Regan was chosen for his ability to bring the best practices to Newtown.

When a complaint is filed, Mr Buzzi said it has the board’s attention, and he always wants to know who filed the complaint, and what the circumstances surrounding the complaint were.

“I would encourage the board to do what is necessary to look into the matter, to get the appropriate attention so that we can ensure the system is working properly and that the services are being delivered to our students,” said Mr Buzzi. “It does give me some pause in seeing the complaint that has been given to the state Board of Education is from two state representatives. It gives me some pause that the complaint is very general in nature. It gives me some pause that there has been no specific complaint from any parent about any specific piece of the process.”

In order to fairly look into the situation, Mr Buzzi said the district needs specifics. He and other members of the school board, along with Mr Hart, encouraged parents with specific complaints to come forward.

“We will address it,” said Mr Buzzi. “This district will address it.”

In response to Ms Leidlein saying Dr Robinson had heard some specific ideas as to how the district could improve from meeting with a special education advisory group, Mr Buzzi asked for those ideas in writing.

“When there is a complaint,” Mr Buzzi said. “It should be submitted in writing so that we can look at it and see what it is.”

While Dr Robinson said the district could do an audit of its own procedures, without specifics there is no way to know what to look for.

“I want to make real clear,” said Dr Robinson, “I do not have specifics either.”

Complaints brought before her, Dr Robinson said, centered around making parents more comfortable with the PPT process.

“If I had heard specific complaints,” the superintendent said, “I would have been right in Mike Regan’s office.”

The board, Mr Hart said, needs to make sure special needs students are being served, which was why he asked Dr Robinson to have Mr Regan prepare an in-depth report on the Special Education Department.

“We need to find a way to do a better job,” said Mr Hart, “not that we don’t have people doing a good job, but with every job I’ve ever done, there was a way to do it better.”