Community Corner

Special Ed Petition Gaining Ground

Several mothers are calling for the firing of special education officials for their mishandling of some students.

 

A handful of mothers are speaking out against the schools' special education officials on the heels of a begun last week that calls for the firing of the special education leaders.

On Thursday, Jane Majewski created an online petition, addressed to Mayor Daniel T. Drew, the and Board of Education, referencing special education Director Ann Perzan and supervisors Laurie Slade and Mindy Otis, of the Department of Pupil Services and Special Education. There are already 105 signers on the petition, which is related to the controversy over "time-out" rooms at Farm Hill Elementary School.

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Sign the petition here.

The Jan. 6 letter by PTA President Apryl Dudley to the mayor  brought to light the issue of the time-out rooms, also caled “,” where children were being placed to control behavioral issues.

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Now, Majewski has partnered with Stephanie Alvarado, the mother of 6-year-old Robert Penny, and his stepmother, Wendy Penny, who both say Perzan has not fulfilled her obligation to place Robert, who has an individualized educational program and is considered emotionally disturbed, in the ACES special education school in North Haven.

Majewski says other mothers of all sorts of children in Middletown Public Schools are beginning to meet and talk — and exchange stories.

“We all have different pieces of the puzzle,” Majewski says. “Most of us have been proactive for more than 10 years and have had enough.”

Penny says she and Alvarado have been trying since Sept. 12, when the family moved from Florida back to Middletown, to get Robert enrolled in first grade.

In Florida, Robert was enrolled in a hospital-based school at Manatee Memorial Hospital for children with emotional needs.

“He has anger and impulse control issues,” Penny says. “He’ll throw things, hit, punch, kick, bite. It’s the worse temper tantrum you’ve ever seen in your life. He can’t be in a mainstream school.”

Perzan, Penny says, placed Robert on “homebound” for 40 days so he could be evaluated by a speech therapist, social worker, psychologist and occupational therapist. In the meantime, five days a week, Robert is visited by a tutor for one hour a day, Penny says, but it’s not ideal.

“We need to place him in a proper school that’s equipped to deal with him,” she says.

On Dec. 9, 2010, Penny says, ACES was ready to accept Robert the next day, but Perzan insisted the family schedule another Planning and Placement Team meeting.

Common Councilwoman Deborah Kleckowski, a 25-year professional education advocate, applauds the parents who are telling their stories.

“The best thing that can happen is parents get involved in bringing to the forefront the lack of communication by professional educators,” Kleckowski says.

“Parents are already stressed when they have a student with special needs. The inaction and total blatant disregard to their concerns is reprehensible,” she says.

“I understand parents’ expectations sometimes exceed what the Board of Education can offer. However, parents of children with special needs need to receive the most services they can to make sure their child succeeds to the best of their ability,” Kleckowski says.

A group of attorneys and advocates for children with disabilities filed a complaint last week with the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education, charging that the practice of using the seclusion room chiefly or exclusively for special education children  at Farm Hill School violates the students' civil rights.

And Jeanne Milstein, the state's child advocate, has

On Jan. 13, school administrators announced they would no longer

On Jan. 12, the West Hartford-based Education Advocacy group filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights against the Middletown Public Schools.

Superintendent of Schools Michael Frechette will deliver his report on Farm Hill School during Tuesday night’s Board of Education meeting at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers.

Penny, Alvarado and Majewski will guest Tuesday at 8 p.m. on Comcast Cable’s show, the Edge, hosted by Jon Pulino and Bill Wilson, speaking about their experiences with Middletown’s special education services. The show is live and viewers are encouraged to call into the studio between 8-9 p.m. at (860) 613-3031.


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