Whittier, CA: SPED parents allege schools neglect their children

Sept 2, 2017, Whittier (CA) Daily News: These parents of special-needs students in the Whittier City School District allege years of neglect. We spoke to them all. http://www.whittierdailynews.com/social-affairs/20170902/these-parents-of-special-needs-students-in-the-whittier-city-school-district-allege-years-of-neglect-we-spoke-to-them-all …These mothers have children with special needs. All three of their children attended the Whittier City School District, which runs some of the city’s public elementary and middle schools. Not only do they feel the district failed their children, they also contend the district’s negligence caused their students to regress, both academically and socially. The trio is among more than a dozen parents of special needs children who agreed to extensive interviews with the Southern California News Group. Their collection of documents and recordings of meetings with Whittier City officials show a pattern of both refusal and neglect to provide special needs students in the district with the support and education guaranteed them by law. ... She noted districts often run into legal trouble when they try assess a student’s disability on their own — something they’re not always very good at…. Benton said districts tend to value their own expertise above parents’ observations and concerns. But federal law dictates parents must be equal partners with teachers and district administrators in determining what’s best for their children. ... Whittier City Superintendent Ron Carruth said he believes the district operates its programs for disabled students within the law, and that administrators and teachers are looking out for the students’ best interests. ... He said special education is particularly tricky for school districts because what parents want and what the law requires often don’t match up. “What’s difficult in special education is that you have parents who are legitimately very worried about their kids. They want to do everything they can to be able to support those students,” he said. “On the other hand, you have the district trying to respond to federal law and state law and continually changing court decisions that set precedents of what services will be required or not required. There’s a real difficulty in trying to find the right balance.”