Last night, the Board of Education began a review of the special education program.
It included a discussion of how to evaluate it, who should do the evaluation, and whether to have a community conversation for special education families.
It was the beginning of what may be an extended discussion — with the BOE, Westport Public Schools officials, and the public — about special education in Westport.
Several residents spoke too. Among them was Rosa Balestrino. She said:
I am the parent of a student who received special education services in our district, from kindergarten through 6th grade. I am here tonight because, like you, I want Westport to be a leader in educational excellence — not just for some students, but for all students, especially those with disabilities.
I recently sent you an email outlining systemic issues for consideration in the upcoming district-wide special education program audit. I want to highlight why those proposed recommendations, such as a file-by-file review and a 3-year look-back, are so critical to me.
For my family, this isn’t just academic. It is a matter of safety and survival.
My son, a student with ADHD (attention deficit) and learning disabilities, reached a point during 6th grade where he was regularly speaking about self-harm.
He felt stupid, and didn’t see a way out of his situation as the academic demands increased and he was falling further and further behind his peers.
He told me he didn’t want to live because he didn’t want to have a learning disability and be different from his peers. As a parent, that is a devastating reality to face.
What made it worse was the breakdown in communication with the district. When I reported these cries for help to the school psychologist in a recent meeting, I was flatly told I never reported them.
When I followed up on a bullying report, I was told it didn’t exist — despite having written proof of both.
I forwarded proof of both things the district denied in a PPT (planning and placement team) meeting, and have yet to get an acknowledgment they were wrong.
I am concerned the district never knew or understood my son, which is why an appropriate program was not put into place.
Screenshot, from the Westport Public Schools’ special education page.
With my son speaking out and suffering, I didn’t wait for a tragedy to happen. To protect my son’s life and his education, I moved him to a private school where individualized instruction is a reality, not just a line on a form.
He is thriving in his new school. He knows he can learn, and is smart. This change has been life altering to him. I have my son back.
I should not have had to outplace him. The district should have provided what he required. But they did not, and instead became aggressive towards me for advocating. This is unconscionable.
I share this to illustrate why “business as usual” is failing our most vulnerable children. We need this audit as soon as possible, so Westport can once again become a premier town for educating students, with and without disabilities.
Specifically, I urge the Board to:
- Form an Oversight Committee that includes parents of students with disabilities to ensure the scope of work proposed captures systemic issues, such as “Child Find” and IEP fidelity.
- Conduct a File-by-File Audit to verify that the services taxpayers are paying for are actually being delivered to the students, and that they are appropriate.
We have a chance to move from a culture of denial, to a culture of accountability and acceptance. Let’s make sure this audit provides the clear roadmap we need to keep our children safe and learning.
Thank you.
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As a Special Education teacher of 20 years I am seeing such issues with how parents are told truth and facts about their children and their behaviors at schools. Teachers are stretched thin, not supported, and told it is their fault if a child is taking up over 60% of class time to address behaviors that affect the learning of others. Teachers and schools are blamed, gentle parenting is overused, and IEP’s are fudged or lied about to suit the needs of anyone but the child. Too many kids are diagnosed with the wrong labels to make parents feel better. I have so much more to add. We have to deal with real behavior issues that impact the learning of all. We are doing a terrible job and forcing Special Education teachers to quit teaching.
Thank you for your comments, Stephanie. I don’t think my previous reply went through. I do not blame the special education teachers. They have too few resources, are limited in what they can say and do, and have too many students to track.
Congratulations to a great parent who came prepared with a concise detailed exposure and failings in our school system that failed her son’s needs!
She should be commended and possibly used as a participating parent in corrections to this shortfall?
Thank you for your support Ray! It was very difficult to share.