Brick Schools' Special Education Director Resigns

BRICK, NJ — When Gerard Dalton takes over as superintendent of the Brick Township School District on July 1, one of his first tasks will be to find a new director of special services for the district.

That's because Colleen Dalrymple, who was hired a year ago to oversee the district's special education services, has turned in her resignation. Dalrymple, who has 30 years in education, is leaving the Brick schools as of June 30, according to the resolution approved Thursday night by the Brick Township Board of Education.

A reason for her departure was not given at the meeting, and reached by email Friday morning, Dalrymple declined to comment.

Dalrymple had been the director of special services in the South Plainfield School District for slightly more than a year before coming to Brick, and was hired as the district was coming under pressure from the state to have a permanent person overseeing the district's special education programs.

Dalrymple has received both praise and criticism from parents at school board meetings.

Thursday night, Kelly Tobin, whose son attends Herbertsville Elementary School, praised Dalrymple for her efforts to move toward more inclusion classes for special education students. Her son, who has Down syndrome, is in a general education class and is thriving, Tobin said.

"Under the previous administration we had to fight so hard to achieve this (the inclusion in the general education class)," Tobin said. "We are so proud to say he is making such meaningful progress."

Earlier this spring, however, a couple of parents expressed displeasure during board meetings with what they felt were dismissive responses from Dalrymple, issues that Acting Superintendent Dennis Filippone said would be addressed privately with those parents.

Special education services have been a thorny issue for the district for several years, going back to 2013 when the district had to cover a $750,000 shortfall after paperwork for reimbursement of out-of-distrist student placement costs was not submitted. That led to the hiring of Andrew Morgan by then-Superintendent Walter Uszenski to do an audit of the district's special education programs. It also led to ongoing legal issues surrounding the arrest and indictment of Uszenski, his daughter, and Andrew and Lorraine Morgan, who was hired as the district's academic officer, surrounding care for Uszenski's grandson.

In March, the district announced to parents of special education students it was planning to do a complete review of student placements, with the goal of moving students who were capable into general education classes. Inclusion classes are seen as a way to help students with special needs interact and grow as students, while also helping children who do not have educational challenges to become more accepting of peers who have disabilities.

But inclusion classes are not a one-size-fits-all solution for every child, district officials and parents have said at board meetings.

The goal was to have its inclusion program in place for the fall 2018. It was not known how Dalrymple's departure would affect those plans.

Dalton, like Filippone, has a background in special education, and has made his commitment to the district clear in the month since he was approved by the board to take over the district, attending events including the Green Fair, and he was present at Thursday's board meeting where the district's teachers and support professionals of the year were honored.

Colleen Dalrymple at the March 8 Brick Board of Education meeting, photo by Karen Wall, Patch staff