Blast from the Past
Many of you long-timers may remember Jerry Weast, Guilford County Schools superintendent from 1993 to 2002 and currently the superintendent in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Well, Dr. Weast is headed to the Supreme Court. No, he's not President Bush's new nominee. But the highest court in the land will hear Schaeffer vs. Weast on Wednesday.
The case involves former Montgomery County special education student Brian Schaeffer, who is suing the school district on the grounds that the education plan teachers drew up for him wasn't appropriate.
This case could be a real test for the federal Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, called IDEA in school jargon.
IDEA is proof that the road to you-know-where is paved with good intentions.
The law requires schools to open their doors to disabled students in the least restrictive manner possible. Anyone with a drop of basic human decency would agree that disabled students deserve an education and the best possible chance to fulfill their potential. And certainly, many disabled students are getting opportunities they never would have received thanks to IDEA.
But complying with the law also has created an incredible financial, legal and bureaucratic strain on local school systems.
By federal law, schools can't turn students away, even the most severely disabled students. Some Guilford County Schools special ed students are so fragile that they require a full-time nurse, by law paid for by the school system, every minute of the school day.
Paying for this highly specialized, labor-intensive program is incredibly expensive. GCS receives more than $20 million per year from the state just for special ed. However, the state only will fund a certain number of special ed students per district, leaving local school systems to cover the shortfall. So in addition to that state money, GCS is spending an estimated $5.7 million this year on special education out of local funds. That's big money even in a large system like Guilford County.
Then there are the mountains of paper work and countless man-hours spent on complying with the federal legislation. By requiring an individualized education plan for each student, IDEA often puts the parents and school district in conflict, leading to a steady stream of lawsuits.
No one wants to see a return to the "bad old days" when many disabled kids were shuffled off to group homes. But IDEA has become far too big and cumbersome for school systems to be expected to handle.
Comments (6)
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D.C. isn't completely unfamiliar turf for the Good Doctor Weast. When he was working for GCS, he testified before Congress on some education something. Can't remember exactly what it was.
re. "IDEA often puts the parents and school district in conflict."
Don't blame IDEA. The lawsuits are coming from the parents, not the school districts, because districts can't -- or more often won't -- comply with the law.
Posted on October 5, 2005 10:39 AM
Always good to hear from you, John. For those of you who don't know, John covered education for the N&R for seven years - even longer than me!
See, I do think IDEA is set up to put parents and schools in conflict because it gives varying levels of service (and money) to individual students. And a precedent has been established that the sky is the limit on services - you can get as much as the school thinks you should have. That invariably leads to disputes from folks who think they aren't getting enough. And in today's litigious society, that often leads to lawsuits.
And I don't know if it's fair to say that schools aren't doing what they should or what they can. After all, GCS alone spends more than $25 million every year on special education.
One thing is for sure, IDEA has been great for lawyers!
Posted on October 6, 2005 4:46 PM
WHAT???!!!!
High Point NOT on Newsweek's "100 Best Communities for Young People" list??--(said with sarcastic dismay...)
The author of the list says, "With her list, Sallee hopes to encourage towns and cities to take better care of their children".
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!THAT's a friggin' JOKE in High POINT! High Point could give a rat's ass about its children! Just ask Fantasia and the kids that have to get a lotto ticket to go to High School.
WAKE UP HIGH POINT! ONLY by addressing the failing education that the Guilford County School system is offering to our children, will you find the secret to a successful city.
Posted on October 7, 2005 9:21 AM
Look, look. Oh, oh.
And this will come back to haunt them.
I can't wait to buy my Newsweek.
Run, Run, Run.
See Spot and Puff run, run, run from High Point following Dick and Jane and Sally.
See Father find a new job.
Mother will go help in the new school.
Go, go, go.
Posted on October 7, 2005 2:35 PM
thebigswallow
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Posted on March 17, 2006 5:49 AM