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NYC Schools Still Ramping Up Promised Support For Students With Disabilities
By
Jessica Gould
Published Nov 19, 2021
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Ameer Mussard Afcari/Shutterstock
By
Jessica Gould
Published Nov 19, 2021
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The New York City Department of Education has pledged an unprecedented investment to help students with disabilities recover from the pandemic. But at a City Council hearing Thursday, parents, advocates and lawmakers said the department is falling short of its promise to help special education students gain ground they lost during a year and a half of disrupted learning. According to the education department, schools are developing plans for students based on their unique needs and through consultations with parents.
The de Blasio Administration promised in July to invest $250 million in special education programs, an enormous sum supported by federal stimulus dollars. That includes a plan to provide additional instruction and services after school or on Saturdays to each of the more than 180,000 public school students with Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs. Students will also be able to receive academic support as well as counseling, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.
But schools are still struggling to staff and launch the new sessions. Administrators report teachers are burned out and it has been difficult to find instructors willing to take on additional hours. The education department originally said the programs would kick off in October,, and although some schools do have their programs up and running now, officials acknowledged at Thursday’s hearing that many are still getting set up. They said the rest will be in place by December 6th, three months into the new school year.
“Every day that passes without those services exacerbates existing gaps between students with special education needs and their peers,” Maggie Moroff, coordinator of the Action for Reform In Special Education (ARISE) Coalition, said.
“There’s no way to sugar coat this, we are failing,” Mark Treyger, chair of the council’s education committee, said.
Since schools first shut down in March 2020, parents have said the impact on students with disabilities has been especially severe.
During remote learning, Randi Levine, policy director with the group Advocates for Children, said students waited months for devices, were not assigned required special education teachers, did not receive mandated services, and were placed in virtual classes that were far too large.
“This school year, challenges have continued,” she said. “We heard from numerous families about school buses not showing up at all or getting their children to school late, students waiting for the DOE to assign staff, including the IEP-mandated one-on-one paraprofessionals.”
For example, many schools scrambled to find paraprofessionals and staff special education classes after the vaccine mandate went into effect earlier this fall.
Meanwhile, a new education department report reveals other gaps in services for students with disabilities. According to the report, about 87% of students received the full suite of services outlined in their education plans. That is actually a 4 percentage point increase from previous years, but still leaves tens of thousands of students who are not receiving all their required supports. Only 81% of IEP evaluations were completed within the legally required 60-day time frame.
As reported first by Chalkbeat NY, the number of students seeking special education services dropped precipitously from 22,000 pre-pandemic to under 9,500 last year. However, experts worry the steep decline may reflect the challenges families faced connecting with schools online and navigating remote learning during the pandemic rather than a decrease in need.
City officials said students with disabilities “continue to be at the forefront” of the school system’s pandemic recovery efforts.
According to Deputy Chief Academic Officer Christina Foti, the city has spent $5 million to hire and train special education teachers and paraprofessionals over the past year and a half and more than doubled the substitute pool. It has also increased preschool seats for special education students and expanded special programs for students with autism.
“We recognize that we are only at the beginning of our recovery process and not the end,” she said.
Tagged
education
new york city
public schools
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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