The Oct. 10 Metro article “Montgomery schools graded on special ed”
reported on a study of the effectiveness and fairness of Montgomery
County Public Schools’ special-education program. As a parent of a child
with disabilities, I felt most of the conclusions in the report
were untrue. I had to read closely to find even a glimmer of our
family’s experience within the 144 pages of statistics and surveys.
MCPS
has a fox in the chicken coop in the form of legal tactics that scare,
bully and financially overwhelm parents, most of whom have no means to
fight back. This win-at-all-costs strategy has proved effective. The
report indicated that most parents don’t pursue legal remedies against
MCPS, and the ones who do have a
100 percent chance of losing. Yet investigations by the Maryland State Department of Education, in response to parent complaints about MCPS, were decided in favor of parents by a ratio
of 7 to 1.
100 percent chance of losing. Yet investigations by the Maryland State Department of Education, in response to parent complaints about MCPS, were decided in favor of parents by a ratio
of 7 to 1.
Since 2004, MCPS has paid a single law firm with scorch-and-burn tactics an average of about $500,000 a year.
This money punishes the handful of parents bold enough to seek legal
redress and sends a “proceed with caution” message to anyone watching.
Using heavy-handed strategies against parents of children with
disabilities is deplorable, but it’s a symptom, not the cause. MCPS’s
approach to resolving disputes is broken. As a public interest attorney
dedicated to correcting social inequities, I hope MCPS finds a path
toward a more just future.
Mary Greene, Silver Springhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mcpss-broken-approach-to-resolving-disputes/2015/10/14/63bb2b70-7106-11e5-ba14-318f8e87a2fc_story.html?postshare=8961444858341900
I'm in 100% agreement with the writer.
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