Parents, advocates fear that NO charter schools rejected kids with disabilities

[MountainLaurel]

This topic came up in another thread here recently, so I thought some of you would be interested.

About 100 parents and advocates voiced concerns Saturday that some of New Orleans' charter schools have rejected students with disabilities, or told parents that they can't afford to provide special education services.

The group spoke at a meeting hosted by the federal education department's Office of Civil Rights, the first of its kind in years in the city. On Friday night, the agency hosted a separate meeting for about 150 state and local school administrators to talk with them about federal laws that protect students.

The meetings come as the feds investigate a complaint filed last year, which alleges that a handful of New Orleans charter schools have discriminatory admissions. Specifically, the complaint alleges that the Orleans Parish School Board's admissions policy for charter schools discriminates against African-American students. The complaint encompasses all of the district's charter schools, even though they have very different admissions practices and demographics. So far the identity of the complainant has not been made public.

The civil rights office enforces several federal laws that prohibit discrimination at schools that receive federal money. And though the laws bar discrimination for several reasons -- including race, color, national origin, sex, disability and age -- the New Orleans audience seemed focused mostly on discrimination of children with disabilities.

http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2010/06/parents_advocates_fear_that_ne.html

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Sooner or later someone will listen to the teachers

who have been making this claim since charters came into being. It's my #1 reason I oppose them.

Cue supporters claiming charters do indeed admit kids with disabilities in 3,2,1 ...

[LWolf]

4. Who listens to us?

Not enough to make a difference. :(

[cornermouse]

2. Children with disabilities cost more to educate and

provide services like physical, speech, and occupational therapy for. They take away from the bottom line, reduce profits. And if states start deciding to refuse to fund pre-school therapies (under the notion that children don't need to be understood, able to pick up tiny objects and be co-ordinated or develop muscle strength before they go to school?), these kids are going to become even more expensive. The more they try to cut costs and slash the safety net, the more its going to cost us later.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Missouri cuts to Parents as Teachers

will come back to haunt them big time.

[donco6]

3. Pfft. Happens all the time.

It's not even hidden.

[jwirr]

5. Private schools, both religious and secular, have been doing this

for years. It should come as no surprise that "charter" schools are going to do it also. Just another step in the continuing war against the weak.

[Festivito]

6. I've always said that vouchers should include for these higher cost students.

That if a school cannot handle them, their voucher share should be commensurately less. But, around here, I might just as well have been talking to vacuum cleaners. They suck it up and it disappears never to be seen again.

[Recursion]

8. People are surprised? That's THE ENTIRE POINT of charter schools

That's why people want them, so they can have publicly funded schools that don't have to "deal with the trouble" of special education.

Oh, sure, charter schools are required to accept all comers regardless of disability, blah, blah, blah. But try to talk to the principal of one when you have a special needs child. He/she will look all concerned and then talk about "well, we don't know that we really have the facilities to be the best fit for your child..." Real public schools don't get to say that, and that's why we need to end this charter BS and keep all the money in real public schools.

EDIT: "principle" is the idea, "principal" is the person. You'd think I learned to type in a charter school or something...

[Recursion]

9. And then there are the "disability friendly charter" scams

...which for the most part are "non-profits" (charters have to be) that then contract to for-profit companies to provide the special education. These contracts are much more expensive than what it costs public schools, and they just get funneled through the non-profit charter to the for-profit provider. Oh, and guess how many people on the non-profit's board are also on the for-profit's board? Meanwhile, the for-profit takes the money and tries to spend as little as possible on actual education and rehabilitation.

Charter schools are another fucking scam to take public money and give it to private corporations.

[blondeatlast]

12. Exactly. nt

[tbyg52]

14. >>we don't know that we really have the facilities

If you don't, you have no business taking tax money. Not that any of them care what I think.....

[Recursion]

16. But it's couched in oh-so-caring language

"We want the best for Johnny"

When in fact what's at work is

"The for-profit provider I'm also on the board of doesn't want to spend money to educate Johnny"

[madrchsod]

10. rahm,duncan,and obama policies are...

turning the clock back when separate and unequal was an accepted policy in this country.

[AllentownJake]

11. If they have a disability let the free market educate them, it is in the Bible

:sarcasm:

[Starry Messenger]

13. Hurricane Katrina was "the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans"

--Arne Duncan

[laughingliberal]

15. K & R nt

[lumberjack_jeff]

17. K&R. n/t