Special Ed Parents Concerned About End-of-Year Report, Hopeful For Future

For Debra Rose Brillati, a parent of an eighth-grade special education student, the statistics presented at last week’s meeting concerning the didn’t add up—or at least portray the full picture.

Though the end of the year report slides Mark Ryder, who is set to move on from the special education director position, flashed through at the meeting concerning the department’s goals showed a decrease in complaints, an expansion in in-district programs and a decrease in out-of-district placements, parent speeches and post-meeting responses conveyed skepticism about the data used and the best way to evaluate the department.

Brillati said for her and several other parents, more programs hasn’t translated to improvements or progress in their students’ education and environment.

“Quantity is not quality,” she said in a phone interview. “Nobody at that meeting asked, ‘How are those kids in those programs doing? How well are they doing?’”

Number of complaints and more accurate data

Brillati said there was more behind the figures presented, concerns that she also passed along to the committee in an email.

She said the number of complaints seemed very low and that until recently, many parents weren’t even aware there was this formal way to file complaints. Ryder, whose , said there were only six complaints this year, a reduction from previous years that averaged about 25.

Brillati advised the committee to look at statistics such as the number of parents who have hired attorneys and the number of settlements reached for filed hearings as more accurate measurements. Brillati has spent $30,000 in attorney fees, she said.

She was one of several parents who described her personal experience with the department at last week's meeting. She said students had suffered “very real damage,” partially due to their special education placement.

“We’re talking about elementary-age children who have been suicidal,” she stated.

She said parents have brought in outside “evaluators” to analyze the situation, and attorneys to ensure their students are receiving what they are legally required because “this administration has had a policy to just say, ‘No.’”

Leslie Meiselman, who has a son in an Arlington special education program, told the School Committee she hired an outside advocate who said the department is essentially “making things up as they go along.” She said the Arlington Special Education Parent Advisory Council must play a much larger role in the district, as they are required under law.

Michael Levi, former chair of SEPAC, who has a son in an Arlington special education program, said by phone that he also had some concerns about the data used. He said measurements such as the parent involvement indicator on the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education site more accurately evaluate the situation.

Arlington had 66 percent of surveys that met the standard, while the state had 77 percent. The survey measures the percentage of parents who said the “school facilitated parent involvement as a means of improving services and results for students.”

“It really is, in my mind, the key indicator of what’s wrong in Arlington,” Levi said. “What’s wrong is that the district administration chooses to pursue different paths and policies, and discounts parental input.”

Out-of-district vs. in-district placements

In his evaluation, Ryder said the department should continue working to decrease out-of-district placements because it allows for the following benefits: a “less restrictive” learning environment, proximity to the community and reduced costs.

Brillati, however, said the administration must better accept that some students have to be placed out of district and should create in-district programs that help the majority of students by better analyzing what needs can be met in district.

Levi agreed. He said overall, the district has the wrong motivations behind its in-district placements. Though parents would prefer their children stay in-district, it depends on whether the district has the right program for the child.

“It’s not based on whether that’s an appropriate program for the child, but whether it will save money,” he said about the district's past approach.

Working with SEPAC and parents in the future

Several parents called for the creation of a “joint committee,” involving parents, teachers, professionals, along with school committee members and special ed administrators to “devise a proposal for the permanent organization of the special education department,” as they hire a new long-term director.

In an encouraging action for parents and SEPAC, the school committee passed a motion to do just that. School Committee member Joseph Curro filed a motion for a subcommittee to develop a “recommended” process for determining permanent special education leadership, job descriptions and goals in conjunction with SEPAC, which passed five in favor, two opposed.

The subcommittee is scheduled to establish a timeline and present it in October at the first School Committee meeting.

“I was very glad to hear Joe make that motion and glad to see it pass,” Levi said. “I think that it’s definitely a step in the right direction, and I’m anxious to see what comes of it."

Priorities and future programs

One of the main priorities for SEPAC and parents is ’s special education department, where the “kids are suffering the most,” Brillati said. A district meeting regarding the middle school is set for June 23rd.

Parents said their suggestions would not involve additional money, just more effective use of the budget. The special education department’s total budget is about $16 million, about 33 percent of ’ annual budget.

Ryder’s main suggestion for the near future was to create a “Tier IV Program” to maintain budget stability, which he described as an “off-campus, intensive” program for stabilization and evaluation. While the district has come a long way, he recognized that there is still more work to be done.

Brillati and other parents are “optimistic” about the recent direction in which the
administration appears to be moving: listening to parents’ concerns and increasing SEPAC involvement.  They said they look forward to working “collaboratively” with Lockyer.

“We’re hopeful,” Brillati said.