School Committee Addresses Special Education Program

An apology to members of the Weston community was just one element of a Weston School Committee statement issued last week regarding the system's special education program.

"We are very sorry that members of our community have had to endure these frustrations," the statement reads, in a section titled Programmatic Weaknesses. "It is clear that in many cases, the Weston Public Schools should have done better in this area." (Download a PDF of the full statement).

According to the statement, members of the School Committee have spent the past several months meeting with parents whose children receive special education services in Weston.

Most individuals said they had confidence in the new senior leadership in the program, the statement reads, but "many families in our special education community expressed frustration in their dealings with our special education program in the past."

Management shortcomings and programmatic weaknesses emerged as the most frequent areas of "frustration," the statement reads.

The statement reveals that staff resources, "in many cases" fell short of what was sufficient to provide the necessary level of Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team communication and recordkeeping as well as the overall level of services many students require.

"We found that frequently, IEP Team members felt that management did not welcome candid input in the development of IEPs," the statement reads. "In many cases, modifications to IEPs were made outside of the formal IEP Team process, rather than through a formal modification of an official IEP in an IEP Team setting.

"Parents were often surprised to learn that children with similar disabilities were often provided with access to very different services."

According to the statement, steps are already being taken to address the shortcomings uncovered during the conversations.

"The Weston Public Schools can do better," according to the statement.

Weston's new director of student services, Susan Strong, outlined in December 2012 and February 2013 plans for "substantial changes" in the program beginning in Fiscal Year 2014. The changes include additional staffing, as well as additional resources at several schools for students with language-based disabilities, among other changes.

In March, the School Committee unanimously approved Superintendent Cheryl Maloney's FY14 budget proposal, which incorporated all of the changes suggested by Strong.

Some changes are taking place before the start of the next school year, the statement reads, including the hiring of a new out of district placement coordinator. Additionally, Strong has planned 161 hours this summer of professional development for special education staff.

The statement concludes by outlining the next steps, which include scheduling Strong to offer two presentations at School Committee meetings during each of the next two years and inviting the Weston Parents Advisory Council for Special Education (WestonPAC) to make similar presentations.

"We recognize that change will not happen overnight, but have full confidence that our superintendent and our new leadership in our special education program will successfully meet the challenge," the statement reads.