July 12, 2017, Staten Island Live: Some special ed students not receiving needed services, report says http://www.silive.com/news/2017/07/report_doe_not_following_stude.html
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A high rate of New York City public school special education students are not receiving the services they need and are entitled to, according to a report released Wednesday by Public Advocate Letitia James.
Under federal law, the Department of Education (DOE) must provide services -- such as speech therapy, occupational therapy and mental health counseling -- to students who are in need, depending on what is mandated via each special needs student's Individualized Education Plan, or IEP.
On Staten Island, where 24 percent of students have an IEP, 27 percent of RSA vouchers went unused, according to the report issued by James' office.
In the city public school system 19 percent of students -- or 200,000 children -- require an IEP.
Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.