The Advocates of Children of NYC http://www.advocatesforchildren.org
have been working for years for reform of special education practices. You may want to start with them. The ARISE coalition is another source. I can give you my specific issues that I have faced but there are many,many problems and violations that are occurring daily. Listening is great but addressing issues head on and dealing with these issues and being courageous enough to face the political reprisal is the best. As a parent, I have faced political reprisal at school community level- are you game for this at a higher level?? I tried to discuss issues with our current councilman and he just sent me the standard letter (he didn’t attend the meeting either-you know who he is). That is why I thought it was time for to hear from the other side.

I want to know what you are going to do about special education violations? Where will you begin?? What have you done or do to educate yourself about this very sad serious situation??Do you have staff/volunteers that are knowledgeable in this area?? Will you ever address this in an open forum during your campaign?

I have done my homework, will you do yours? Take a look at nyc.gov and look the graduation rates, look at the suspension rates in our schools, look at the class sizes for team teaching rooms, what happens to the poor performing teacher(s),where do teachers get the right to dictate to parents that a child should be medicated when they are so inexperienced that they can’t manage their classrooms? Maybe they should be subjected to random drug testing? (Another NYc teacher was arrested yesterday for DWI). Teachers can’t manage a classroom without mentoring and special education training. Children can’t learn if they are out of the classroom because a teacher can handle them. Children can’t learn if they are drugged, teachers can’t teach a class of 32 when half have IEPs-even with 2 teachers in a class. Make the class 16 and 16 and have all teachers trained in special ed. If they don’t like it tell them to get another job. There are many young newly trained in the new techniques of special education that would love their jobs-but oh the UFT wouldn’t go for that. Principals budgets are constrained and they can’t or won’t provide the services special ed students are funded for-perhaps an audit would be in order??? If they violate the law-sic the feds on them. It is a federal law that dictates the disabled’s rights.

I am one parent and never thought I would even have to think or let alone write, fight and argue for the rights of children with need. By the way-if you have children where do your children go to school. If you tell me private school-that speaks volumes!!! Parochial schools in general do not want special ed students and neither do nyc charter schools. That is why their statistics look so great. They are only showing one side of the bell curve. This is called lying with statistics. You cannot compare public schools vs. private schools. Once parochial schools discover a child has issues they do everything they can to get the child out of the school or keep them out. They don’t want their school reading and math scores to drop. But they would never admit to it. At the very least, the public school statistics tell the whole story the good, bad and the ugly.

Thanks for listening but we need more than that, we need real change are you ready for the challenge?

I am committed to reform across the board, and education is a top priority and needs special attention. I cannot say I will be at EVERY meeting, but I will attend as many as possible and ensure that I have staff attend when I cant so that we can stay on the issues that matter. Please let me know what the shortcomings are in relationshop to the special ed programs and if you have specific ideas on solving the problem- I’d be glad to listen!

Dan

The City council members do not seem to give a damn when these meetings on education are set up. The last one held in June on mayoral control and was attended by one councilman. It was disgraceful. Most parents and teacher activists spoke against mayoral control but no one was there to listen. If Elected will you show up to all education council meetings????

What are you going to do for education? Principals are running amuck doing what they feel like with special education dollars and not giving the dollars to the kids in need. They break the law everyday and no one holds them accountable. No wonder special ed students’ graduation rate is less than 25%. Will you audit the dollars given to schools for special ed students and make sure special ed gets all their allocated dollars??

Have you ever tried reaching the Region in our district? They put you in a phone loop. Parents can’t reach the superintendents,(they don’t do anything anyway). IEPs are violated all the time. Do you even know what an IEP is? Check the 311 complaint logs and complaints to integrated services. If you are a serious candidate you need to find out what is going on in our community regarding education. Are you committed to being informed and taking a stand????