Jerry Tanenbaum, Esq., Responds to Barbara Gantwerk's Trenton Times Comments
(see PETITION DRIVE IN TRENTON TIME )

As a parent of a child with special learning needs and an attorney who represents such children when their civil rights have been denied, I was dismayed to read the comments of Ms. Gantwerk, Director of the Office of Special Education in New Jersey as reported May 17, 2005.     

 

As discussed in the article, the federal government has removed the obligation for Districts to provide such children with specific short-term objectives to assist their growth in school.  As this has proven over time to be one of the primary means by which actual progress can be made and measured, this removal will likely cause many of these children to suffer significant losses.  Accordingly, parents in New Jersey are desperately attempting to retain these requirements in the state regulations.

 

The Director's comments about the supposed "great debate" on this issue in Washington, where special needs children lost, failed to reflect the huge amounts of money and effort expended by state departments of education and administrative organizations in their effort to water-down children's rights, as compared to the small efforts mounted by under-funded and disparate parents of special needs children.  Rather than a "great" debate, it was a power blow dealt by Washington lobbyists and government officials against already overwhelmed parents and children. 

 

The Director's tone of "they [the parents and children] had their chance" struck me as cavalier and adversarial.  I can only hope that she does not actually harbor any such feelings towards parents of these children in New Jersey.  They, and their children, have it tough enough already.  Some even look to her for help.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jerry Tanenbaum

128 Windsor Ave.

Haddonfield New Jersey

(856) 482-5733 -- day time

(856) 354-0729 -- home

jtanenbaum@schnader.com