***Yonkers, NY: "Nearly 20 percent of Yonkers students have a disability" no more comment!

Mar 21, 2019, LoHud.com: CAST school makes bid for special ed charter; critics claim it will drain resources https://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/2019/03/21/cast-charter-hearing-yonkers/3215718002/ YONKERS - Critics came out in force against a proposed charter high school at a hearing held Wednesday night, voicing fears about the detriment it could cause in a cash-strapped district. Led by the Yonkers superintendent, students, parents and teachers within Yonkers Public Schools said a second charter school in the district could widen the district's budget deficit and force more cuts to programs and staff…. "Our school is really created to complement the existing school system," said Lesniak, who has a 30-year career in architecture. "It is designated for niche students who are not served properly by the public system." … Yonkers has a growing population of more than 25,000 students in 39 school buildings, and each year struggles to close gaps in its $604 million budget…. Nearly 20 percent of Yonkers students have a disability, and three years ago a U.S. Department of Education investigation found the district was improperly putting those students in restrictive environments and didn't properly document its interventions. The district has said it redesigned its special education department and has worked to comply with the agreement they signed with the feds….