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Therapist Boldly Stands for Our Children - Deserves Support!

The below has been submitted in response to the article at this link:

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15799802&BRD=1091&PAG=461&dept_id=425707&rfi=6
(see article below)

And was published on January 12, 2006, see link:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15912438&BRD=1091&PAG=461&dept_id=425711&rfi=6

Follow up article is at this link and is also included below:
http://pacpub.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15917714&BRD=1091&PAG=461&dept_id=425707&rfi=6

OP-ED / OPINION LETTER: PARENTS SHOULD SUPPORT MS GRAVES

By Bob Witanek, 908-881-5275, http://StudentAdvocate-NJ.org  advocate@studentadvocate-nj.org 

I am writing in reference to the recent article about the speech pathologist Shirley Graves who alleges that she was forced out by the Mansfield School District for her criticism of the special services director.  Ms. Graves suggests that the director improperly altered student individualized education plans (IEPs) in the district.  As a special education parent in the Montgomery School District, the charges by the therapist to me seem plausible.

For blowing the whistle on alleged improper actions – Ms. Graves is deserving of support, solidarity and accolades from parents of special education students.  Families of special education students as a class, face troubling times, not only in Mansfield and Montgomery Townships, but across the state of NJ and the entire nation.

Revisions to the law that governs special education – the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act  (IDEA) – are shifting the balance of power in the IEP  process further in favor of school districts.  A recent Supreme Court decision shifts the burden of proof in due process hearings when IEP proposals are in dispute to the parent in most cases – further weakening parent advocacy protections.

Throughout NJ, parents are demanding that NJ keep stronger special education student protections in place.  Thousands have signed a petition and written letters around 11 points of unity for strong student and parent protections.  To get further information about these efforts and to sign the petition, visit http://StudentAdvocate-NJ.org .

As a coordinator of the effort to uphold student and parent protections – I am hearing many horror stories from the districts.  In one district – several months into the year, the administration claims that it can not find professionals and parents learn that speech and other services are not being provided.  At the recent state hearing, school representatives argued that they should be allowed to use speech therapy assistants to provide services.  Districts are emboldened by the erosion of our rights and shifts in due process rules. 

The act of a director who changes the plan and lops services onto the floor is likely a common one.  The good news in Mansfield is that Ms. Graves boldly came forward.  The situation there calls for a state and federal civil rights investigation and whistle-blower protections for Ms. Graves.

Parents need to organize.  We need to stand independently from the Department of Education and from the school districts.  We need ‘no strings attached’ organizations that can challenge district and state policies without fear of funding cuts.  We need organizations that can say to the district when it forces a strong advocate professional like Ms. Graves out – “no you can’t do that – you need to hire her back.”

Meanwhile, we need to mobilize ourselves to be in Trenton at the Department of Education on Wednesday, January 18, 5:30 pm for press conference and vigil  followed by hearing participation to demand strong protections for our children in NJ code.  See http://StudentAdvocate-NJ.org , call 908-881-5275 or write advocate@studentadvocate-nj.org for more information.

 

Special education debate continues
By: William Wichert, Staff Writer 12/22/2005
Former speech therapist claims she was forced to resign    MANSFIELD — A former speech therapist in the elementary school district said this week that she believes she had been forced out of her position for criticism made against school officials and their handling of the special education program.    As the district's special education services remain under investigation by the state Department of Education (DOE), the former therapist's comments at Monday's Board of Education meeting follow questions raised by parents in recent weeks as to why several therapists have left the school system over the last two years.    "I did not leave this district of my own accord. I was told to resign," said Shirley Graves, the former speech therapist, on Monday, citing a recent newspaper article in which school officials are quoted as saying that the therapists left for reasons unrelated to problems within the district.    "I fully expected to continue my work as a speech pathologist in this district for years to come," Ms. Graves told the board members.    In a phone interview the following day, Ms. Graves said she resigned from her position in June 2005 after receiving a letter in April about how she would not be receiving tenure. Ms. Graves, who started working in the district in 2002, said she agreed to resign, because she thought it would improve her chances of getting a new job.    Ms. Graves claimed that the main reason for her departure was the criticism she made against Rebecca Khettry-Clay, the district's director of special education, whom she said improperly altered some students' Individualized Education Program (IEP), causing a reduction in services.    "I knew, walking away, it was because I had spoken up against her," she said.    After evaluating each of her 32 students and making recommendations for their services with Ms. Clay and the child study team, Ms. Graves said she was told afterward by Ms. Clay that some of her recommendations were not being followed.    "(Ms. Clay) was acting like a speech pathologist," said Ms. Graves. "I had to defend my students' programs."    Ms. Graves' accusations of services being cut mirror the concerns raised by both parents and other former therapists at board meetings over the last few months. At the July 18 meeting, for instance, Avanti Rao, a physical therapist, provided similar reasons for her own resignation.    "(Ms. Rao) wanted the board to know that due to her professionalism she cannot do her job as requested," according to the minutes of the meeting. "She felt that the (child study) team was not consulted when changes were made for services for the children."    Speaking by phone on Tuesday, Ms. Clay said that any changes made to student services came out of the IEP meetings with parents and the child study team after the therapists made their recommendations. These recommendations are taken into consideration, but they are not set in stone, she said.    "Not all the time (are) the recommendations the therapists make something that everybody agrees with," said Ms. Clay. "It's what is decided at the IEP meeting."    If any changes are made to a student's IEP, Ms. Clay said, they are based on the child's academic needs throughout the entire school day. Therapists are mostly concerned with their own specialized fields and not the overall education provided to the students, she said.    Ms. Graves said she was not invited to the IEP meetings for her students, but Ms. Clay said she was not legally required to attend. Ms. Clay said she could not discuss the resignations of Ms. Graves and other therapists, because they are personnel matters.    "We didn't force (Ms. Graves) to resign. She was asked to resign," said Ms. Clay. "The fact that they did resign proves we had very valid reasons." Ms. Clay said those reasons are both personal in nature, and related to each individual's job performance.    The school district's failure to follow one student's IEP, however, has been addressed by the state Department of Education (DOE) in response to a complaint filed by parents in September.    In this Sept. 23 complaint, one of two documents acquired by the Register-News through Open Public Records Act (OPRA), the parents claim the district did not provide speech services mandated by their child's IEP between July and August.    The DOE states in its conclusion: "Although the district documented seven hours of speech therapy during the extended school year, the district acknowledges that it failed to provide speech services according to the frequency and duration required by the (child's) IEP."    The second complaint had to do with disciplinary actions taken against a student with special needs earlier this year, but Ron Rice, a DOE spokesman, said there are two cases still pending. Mr. Rice said he could discuss the specifics of those cases.    The high turnover of therapists remains an issue of debate among parents, school officials, and former therapists. At Monday's meeting, Colleen Herbert, a member of the Columbus Home and School Association, made a plea for some common ground.    "We've got to get together here," she said. "I'm seeing a lot of parents here, and it's very upsetting."
©PACKETONLINE News Classifieds Entertainment Business - Princeton and Central New Jersey 2005 State DOE orders special education makeup sessions   By: William Wichert, Staff Writer 01/12/2006 Email to a friend    Voice your opinion    Printer-friendly   Interim Superintendent says all makeup sessions should be done by June    MANSFIELD — State officials are coming down on the special education program in the township's elementary school district.    In its Dec. 20 response to a parental complaint, the state Department of Education (DOE) ordered the district to make up for all speech and language services that have not been provided to the students entitled to receive them.    This directive is the first districtwide decision to come out of the ongoing debate between parents and school officials over whether students are receiving all of the therapeutic services outlined in their annual Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).    "Presently, all students are getting the sessions required," said interim Superintendent Charles McGlone, who entered his position last week, by phone Wednesday morning. "We expect all makeup sessions will be done by June."    Of the 128 students in the district's special education program, 62 have missed one or more therapy sessions since September and most of the students have missed fewer than 12 sessions overall, said Mr. McGlone.    These missed services are mostly due to staff shortages in recent months, he said. Several therapists, including four speech pathologists, have resigned, but Mr. McGlone said a new speech therapist started last week and another therapist is expected to start very soon.    With these new staff members, school officials will develop a plan to fulfill each student's IEP within the district, but Mr. McGlone said parents also have the right to receive services at a faster rate through outside agencies at the district's expense.    "We intend not only to provide services in a timely fashion, (but to) make up those services that are missed," said Mr. McGlone, who said he met Tuesday with members of the Parents Advocating for Special Education (PASE). "We're going to try to look into and address their concerns."    Those concerns are starting to gain statewide attention. Several PASE members have said they are filing their own complaints with the state, and some are making plans to discuss those issues during a press conference before next Wednesday's special education hearings of the state Board of Education. The press conference has been organized by the New Jersey Student Advocate, a statewide parents advocacy group, to address changes to federal special education laws.    Harry Mansure, who filed the recent complaint with the DOE, said he plans on speaking at the press conference about his experience with how IEPs are handled in the school district.    "IEPs are generally not followed to the letter of the law in Mansfield," said Mr. Mansure, who provided a copy of the complaint to the Register-News, by phone Tuesday.    The state's conclusion in that complaint shows that the district was not providing Mr. Mansure's son with all of his IEP services — representing the second time in the last two months that the boy's services were called into question. After Mr. Mansure filed his first complaint a few months ago, the state found that the district failed to abide by the IEP for speech services during the summer months.    With its most recent investigation, the state has directed the school district to provide Mr. Mansure's son with all the therapy sessions owed to him, while also reviewing the IEPs of all students receiving speech and language services.    The school district is ordered to "provide compensatory services in accordance with student IEPs" and submit monthly therapy logs to the state in order to ensure that those services are being provided, according to the complaint.    Jeanine Baechtold, who filed her own complaint with the state on Jan. 3, said she estimates that her son has missed 25 speech sessions since September. His IEP states that he should be receiving three weekly sessions, but last week was the first time that he received more than only two sessions, she said.    "It's hard to make up these missed sessions," said Ms. Baechtold by phone Tuesday. She said her son is now expected to receive five sessions a week for the next two months in order to recover the missed services, including two 30-minute sessions to be provided by an agency in Marlton.    In her complaint letter to the DOE, Ms. Baechtold writes in regard to the missed sessions: "We began requesting detailed speech logs for the extended school year and the regular school year repeatedly beginning on October 3, 2005 with no cooperation from the school until December 19, 2005, and then the speech logs provided to us were inaccurate and not current."    Ms. Baechtold said she and her husband tried to work with the school district, but when school officials did little to address their concerns, filing a complaint with the state seemed like the only alternative.    "We don't know where else to go," she said. "It's not about my son. It's about all the kids."   ©PACKETONLINE News Classifieds Entertainment Business - Princeton and Central New Jersey 2006

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Past Activities

IEP Wkshp

Rec. Programs for those w/ Disabilities

An Evening of Educational Advocacy
September 8, 2005 Edison, NJ

What The Student Advocate Has Done for Our Children Lately . . .

NJ IDEIA 2004 Organizing Committee
Minutes of IDEIA 2004 meeting on Thu., May 26

Student Rights Radio Discussion, October 31

Effort to Reach Gubernatorial Hopefuls and Acting Governor / Candidates

IDEA: An Update Dec. 5, 2005
Middletown

January 18, 2006: Hold a Candle Light for Our Children's Rights

50 Strong For Our Children

No. Jersey Radio Interview Aired, 1/22

Petitioning for Rights Children:  Legal in Princeton

 Interview on NJ IDEIA Rights - Racial Disparities in Sp-Ed

Call is Heard in Montgomery Twp: Inclusive Recreation

NJSAU Minutes 2/18/2006

Playing and Singing for Our Rights, 4/1/6

Better IDEA Laws for Special Education Students?
Better IEPs?  Anything is Possible!

April 1 Report: Student Advocacy Union -  Fundraising Concert

Mobilization for Rights of Our Children,  May 17, 2006, Trenton

Nationwide Internet Radio Rally for Sp-Ed Parent Rights
9pm EST, Sat. May 20

Parents’ Rally @ Statehouse in Trenton Thursday, June 8, 2006

Piscataway Parents Mtg, June 19, 2006