Steve Zepnick, who said he was advocating for his 10-year-old grandson, asked Starr if he thought the dispute process should be examined and parents consulted to see what changes might be necessary.
Starr said a very small percentage of special education families request dispute resolution with the school system.
In some cases, it’s impossible for the the school system and families to agree, he said.
“I’m comfortable with where we are right now, I am,” he said. “The numbers are really, really solid.”
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So let's look at the details of Joshua Starr's comfort level. Here's a sample from just one month earlier this spring:
And here's the most recent end of the year summary: $308,000 spent fighting families' requests for services for their children with special needs. And that's on top of the cost of the in house counsel Zvi Greismann, and the cost of the Equity Assurance and Compliance Unit.
Are YOU comfortable with your own tax dollars being used in this way?
I asked the question to bring up the discussion. Although Dr. Starr thinks the process is working, I would say that parents are intimidated to settle, and many choose not to even challenge as the process is very complex. It is hard for one family to stand up against an organized system. The whole process was horrible for my family, and MCPS only offered adequate choices after the fact. In fact, we were forced into removing the child from his public school, as we could not follow the MCPS plan which was contrary to what his doctors were recommending and place the child at medical risk. Furthermore, MCPS misdiagnosed his learning needs. I have been asking MCPS to do the right thing but they have stone-walled this request. Parents are not treated as equals in disputed cases. In fact, the lawyers have been thrown at us, which has only caused distraction from focusing on the child's needs. And, the Administrators have rejected any of our requests to intervene. Instead, the lawyers, at great cost to our family and the Montgomery County citizens, have controlled the situation. MCPS does not want the truth of what really happens in such disputes, such as the deception and the mistakes, to come out. If a fair review was conducted, MCPS would not be looking so well. So, Dr. Starr, I totally disagree with your perception that the process is working. The statistics used to make such claims are false. There are changes needed!
ReplyDeleteThe Goshen Elm, which is located on Goshen Road, is now, would you believe, the largest English Elm in the world! It is strange how I was able to save a majestic, champion tree against suburban encroachment but not as successful getting MCPS to appropriately diagnose my grandson's special needs and offer a fair academic plan. MCPS continues to stone-wall the issues. I have been quite public in this blog about the issues (please look at past postings) as not only want what is fair but I don't want other families to receive the same malignant treatment.
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