Home About Us Media Kit Subscriptions Links Forum
APPEARED IN


View All Articles

Download PDF

FAMOUS INTERVIEWS

Directories:

SCHOLARSHIPS & GRANTS

HELP WANTED

Tutors

Workshops

Events

Sections:

Books

Camps & Sports

Careers

Children’s Corner

Collected Features

Colleges

Cover Stories

Distance Learning

Editorials

Famous Interviews

Homeschooling

Medical Update

Metro Beat

Movies & Theater

Museums

Music, Art & Dance

Special Education

Spotlight On Schools

Teachers of the Month

Technology

Archives:

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

1995-2000


JUNE 2005

Scandal At The State-Operated School For The Blind Exposes State Ed’s Neglect Of Multiply-Disabled Kids

By Assemblyman Steven Sanders

I have called for a criminal investigation as well as for two federal probes, by the Justice Department’s Office of Civil Rights and by the Department of Health and Human Services’ inspector general, into the recent scandal involving serious neglect of multiply-disabled children and young adults at the State-operated New York State School for the Blind in Batavia, NY.

It is bad enough when the State Education Department (SED) or other State agencies fail in their mission and solemn responsibility to ensure that the most vulnerable children, those with multiple disabilities, are provided an appropriate education and quality health-care in facilities charged with their care. But when the State itself operates a school, such as the School for the Blind, and serious incidents of neglect and, reportedly, even physical abuse occur, it is indefensible, and those responsible must be held accountable, at every level, to the fullest extent of the law.

A recent report both prepared and based upon inspections performed by the State’s Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) found that SED had been incompetent and negligent in not properly providing for the well-being of 18 students at two interim care facilities on the campus. Students’ medical needs were ignored, and complaints of abuse were not investigated. Medication was not provided, or inappropriately administered. Conditions warranting follow-up visits with physicians were simply ignored—for month after month.

There can be no excuse for the systemic--and now admitted—failure of SED to have had properly trained staff, or for the fact that the Department had no procedures or policies in place whatsoever to protect children under its direct care from physical abuse, mistreatment or gross neglect.

Consequently, what has transpired raises grave questions about SED’s competence to monitor the health, safety and delivery of appropriate, quality education and related services to children with disabilities in public schools throughout all of New York State, including in New York City.

Accordingly, I plan legislative hearings into the quality of educational services and quality of care provided students with disabilities throughout the state. These hearings will certainly look closely at outcomes and data; probe whether children are learning in special education, or whether for many, goals on IEPs (individual educational plans) are being ignored, or not ever tracked.

When the State Education Department fails to protect children with disabilities under its own watch, it raises grave concerns about the Department’s overall monitoring of—and delivery of—quality education to these children, as well as its diligence, professionalism, seriousness or competence to protect disabled children from neglect and abuse across the state, in every school. And needless to say, SED it would seem apparent, can certainly not be relied on to monitor the well-being of thousands of disabled kids placed out of state. This is very, very worrisome, and my committee will look into this as well.

True, there are many dedicated, professional teachers and administrators who serve children with disabilities well. But accountability and faith in the system as a whole is clearly lacking. I look forward to working with parents, advocates, teachers and administrators in exploring whether children and young adults with disabilities are in fact learning and receiving appropriate, mandated services, be it in District 75 or in inclusionary programs here in New York City, and across New York State.

How many students who have both disabilities and enormous intellectual or artistic potential are being warehoused in the public schools, rather than educated? What is the State doing to make every district accountable? And how can we trust the State to do its job, when it has been found to be responsible for outrageous misfeasance at its own school?#

Assemblyman Sanders is chairman of the Education Committee. E-mail him at sanders@assembly.state.ny.us or phone 212.979.9696. His mailing address is 201 East 16th Street, New York, NY 10003.

COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE

Name:

Email:
Show email
City:
State:

 


 

 

Education Update, Inc.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of the publisher. © 2009.