This is the kind of stuff that happens under poor leadership and misinformed, bias indivdiuals. Claypool is shady guy and created an even shadier procedure. Not good and should be addressed immediately.
Putting barriers in place that limit access to needed services is nothing new. The tactics exposed in the WBEZ article are not limited to CPS. Families throughout Illinois can tell similar special ed horror stories.
This is a statewide issue not just CPS although the lengths CPS took to mask the non-provision of services are particularly egregious. I’ve spoken to hundreds of parents who have children with an IEP throughout my career and have heard many of the same frustrations as the mom in the story shares.
I know there are districts in the state that are very good at providing special ed. services but many are not. In some districts parents have to bring advocates and/or attorneys with them to IEP meetings just to insure basic services are provided to their children. This typically occurs due to a lack of resources, lack of funding, lack of competency, or a combination thereof.
Special education provision is not easy; especially when programs are individualized to the needs of each student. But it’s the law. Kudos to the districts who ‘get it’ and manage to do a tremendous job despite the challenges.
Cubs in ‘16 is correct; this problem is a statewide issue. When my daughter was in school, I would often look at the representatives from the schools and ask, “Which building are we going to own?” It seems far too often that the only way to get an appropriate education for a special-needs child is to bring along a lawyer.
One time, as the end-of-year IEP meeting was coming to an close, the school’s special education director laid out the plans for the next year’s IEP meeting, talking about all the services my daughter would be getting. He nearly choked when I handed him a copy of what was then her current IEP - all the “new” services were ones she was supposed to have gotten during that year. I asked, “What about all this year, which now is a lost cause?” His response? “I don’t know. This is her current IEP? I’ll have to talk with the district and school staff.”
Yeah, right. Parents need to demand that their children receive FAPE and do what is necessary to make sure it happens.
Well there are real implications for ISBE relating to this report. Ultimately under the federal special education law IDEA the responsibility for ensuring that CPS is proving services to its students with disabilities on a systemic level is ISBE. Its time for Illinois Superintendent Smith to take a very deep look at what is going on with CPS special education and force some changes. CPS has argued for equal funding for its pension fund, its time for ISBE to demand its special education dollars be expended appropriately in conjunction with a sufficient allocation of property tax dollars from Chicago.
- Silent Budgeteer
The Hospitals do the same thing. Promise all these new services and improvements for so many hundred million more. Then you compare to the current contract and realize they over the past two years have not been provided contracted services and pocketing the difference. Very very common. Routine.
Paul Toback is one of the named consultants. just ridiculous.
- Last Bull Moose - Wednesday, Oct 18, 17 @ 4:25 pm:
Our experience with special education in Naperville was terrible at the elementary school and junior high level, good at high school. We were able to go outside the system and found an approach that worked. The people in the system fought us tooth and nail. They were convinced only their approach should be used and were insulted by our efforts.
It’s not just CPS. An IEP is legally binding, but school districts can amend the IEP regarding extra services and accommodations (including a teacher assistant), Sped service minutes per week, and placement in non-special ed classes. All they have to do is notify the parent of the amendment, whether they agree or not. It’s up to the parents to demand their due process rights, which legally must be provided by every district.
- Smitty Irving - Wednesday, Oct 18, 17 @ 2:40 pm:
“Outside auditors with deep ties to CPS CEO Forrest Claypool.” Does that include John Filan?
https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/forrest-claypool-cuts-back-on-chicago-public-schools-cps-consultants-but-not3-he-has-ties-to-the-watchdogs/
- Ambassador Abe - Wednesday, Oct 18, 17 @ 2:43 pm:
This is the kind of stuff that happens under poor leadership and misinformed, bias indivdiuals. Claypool is shady guy and created an even shadier procedure. Not good and should be addressed immediately.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Oct 18, 17 @ 2:47 pm:
Anyone connected to CPS who wants to run next year should be prepared to explain this, and if they can’t, they should rethink running.
- BobO - Wednesday, Oct 18, 17 @ 3:01 pm:
Putting barriers in place that limit access to needed services is nothing new. The tactics exposed in the WBEZ article are not limited to CPS. Families throughout Illinois can tell similar special ed horror stories.
- Downstate - Wednesday, Oct 18, 17 @ 3:01 pm:
Incredibly sad. Even sadder is this will require even more in property taxes from Chicago residents.
- Cubs in '16 - Wednesday, Oct 18, 17 @ 3:02 pm:
This is a statewide issue not just CPS although the lengths CPS took to mask the non-provision of services are particularly egregious. I’ve spoken to hundreds of parents who have children with an IEP throughout my career and have heard many of the same frustrations as the mom in the story shares.
I know there are districts in the state that are very good at providing special ed. services but many are not. In some districts parents have to bring advocates and/or attorneys with them to IEP meetings just to insure basic services are provided to their children. This typically occurs due to a lack of resources, lack of funding, lack of competency, or a combination thereof.
Special education provision is not easy; especially when programs are individualized to the needs of each student. But it’s the law. Kudos to the districts who ‘get it’ and manage to do a tremendous job despite the challenges.
- Silent Budgeteer - Wednesday, Oct 18, 17 @ 3:20 pm:
Cubs in ‘16 is correct; this problem is a statewide issue. When my daughter was in school, I would often look at the representatives from the schools and ask, “Which building are we going to own?” It seems far too often that the only way to get an appropriate education for a special-needs child is to bring along a lawyer.
One time, as the end-of-year IEP meeting was coming to an close, the school’s special education director laid out the plans for the next year’s IEP meeting, talking about all the services my daughter would be getting. He nearly choked when I handed him a copy of what was then her current IEP - all the “new” services were ones she was supposed to have gotten during that year. I asked, “What about all this year, which now is a lost cause?” His response? “I don’t know. This is her current IEP? I’ll have to talk with the district and school staff.”
Yeah, right. Parents need to demand that their children receive FAPE and do what is necessary to make sure it happens.
- Cubs in '16 - Wednesday, Oct 18, 17 @ 3:34 pm:
Silent Budgeteer,
Ah yes, the two words that can make a school district quiver in their shoes—’due process’.
It’s unfortunate your advocacy was necessary but your daughter was very lucky to have it. Well done.
- Rod - Wednesday, Oct 18, 17 @ 3:37 pm:
Well there are real implications for ISBE relating to this report. Ultimately under the federal special education law IDEA the responsibility for ensuring that CPS is proving services to its students with disabilities on a systemic level is ISBE. Its time for Illinois Superintendent Smith to take a very deep look at what is going on with CPS special education and force some changes. CPS has argued for equal funding for its pension fund, its time for ISBE to demand its special education dollars be expended appropriately in conjunction with a sufficient allocation of property tax dollars from Chicago.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Oct 18, 17 @ 3:41 pm:
- Silent Budgeteer
The Hospitals do the same thing. Promise all these new services and improvements for so many hundred million more. Then you compare to the current contract and realize they over the past two years have not been provided contracted services and pocketing the difference. Very very common. Routine.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Oct 18, 17 @ 4:16 pm:
Paul Toback is one of the named consultants. just ridiculous.
- Last Bull Moose - Wednesday, Oct 18, 17 @ 4:25 pm:
Our experience with special education in Naperville was terrible at the elementary school and junior high level, good at high school. We were able to go outside the system and found an approach that worked. The people in the system fought us tooth and nail. They were convinced only their approach should be used and were insulted by our efforts.
- Wensicia - Wednesday, Oct 18, 17 @ 4:45 pm:
It’s not just CPS. An IEP is legally binding, but school districts can amend the IEP regarding extra services and accommodations (including a teacher assistant), Sped service minutes per week, and placement in non-special ed classes. All they have to do is notify the parent of the amendment, whether they agree or not. It’s up to the parents to demand their due process rights, which legally must be provided by every district.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Oct 18, 17 @ 7:27 pm:
Can we finally dispel the myth that Claypool is anything but an incompetent political hack?
- Soccermom - Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 1:55 pm:
Just disgusting.