L.A. charter schools lack sufficient special education services, study says
Samuel Osborn | 4-1-2010 | Comments |
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A recent study found 29 Los Angeles Unified School District charter schools to be out of compliance with state and federal standards for disabilities access.The study, which was conducted by a federally appointed independent monitor and issued in February, states that while the levels of non-compliance varied, some schools even failed to provide such basic needs as wheelchair accessible bathrooms or drinking fountains. Others had “limited or no accessibility features.”
“The problems facing charter schools in terms of accessibility to students are far greater than in L.A. Unified district-operated schools,” said Independent Monitor Fred Weintraub. “In some cases we saw the schools had tried to make improvements, but in many instances those improvements were done incorrectly.”
This report is the latest jab in an ongoing debate over the level of service provided to students with disabilities in L.A. Unified charter schools.
A report issued in June by the independent monitor found that special needs students are numerically underrepresented in charter schools, accounting for only 7.6 percent of the student body as opposed to 11.3 percent in district-operated schools. In addition, only 8 percent of the charter schools surveyed had “special day programs” for students with disabilities, while 87 percent of the district operated schools have such services.
“While I was working at a charter school I had three students leave mid-year because their disabilities weren’t being serviced,” said Colleen Krause, an L.A. Unified teacher who has worked in both charter and district-operated schools. “They just weren’t getting the help that they required.”
Some L.A. Unified officials see such critiques as oversimplifications of an immensely complicated issue.
“Charter schools do serve all students that desire to attend them, they are required by law to do so regardless of any disability the student has or doesn’t have,” said Sharyn Howell, executive director of the district’s Special Education Division. “Because charter schools are independent, they design their own special education programs. Even though those programs might not look like the ones in district schools, they are there.”
There are currently more than 150 charter schools operating within L.A. Unified, more than any other school district in the country. They are publicly funded but operate independently from the district, in exchange for accountability to certain standards set forth by each school’s charter. This accountability includes adherence to laws and standards that pertain to special education services, but some people worry that charters intentionally avoid taking on these responsibilities.
“Charter schools, for the most part, don’t build serving special needs students into their plan,” Weintraub said. “They’ll argue that most of those students don’t apply to the school, but the parents will tell you they don’t send their kids to charters because those programs aren’t available.”
Despite the disturbing allegations made in the studies conducted by the independent monitor, charter administrators are quick to defend their institutions.
“This report opines on highly technical facilities matters that are generally tackled only by state-certified facilities experts,” said Jed Wallace, president of the California Charter Schools Association, in a press release issued the same day as the February study. “It fails to acknowledge that under Proposition 39, the LAUSD is required to provide ADA compliant facilities to charter schools-just like it does with traditional schools- but has been unable to do so for many years.”
While Wallace’s statements focused more on the technical and legal shortcomings of the independent monitor’s report, others have taken a more personal stance on the issue.
“Of course we care, deeply I might add, for the needs of students with disabilities,” said Principal Chris Ferris of Our Community School, a charter located in the San Fernando Valley. “It’s really hard as an independent school. The district gets mad at us for having a small percentage of special needs students, while at the same time denying us access to their programs. It’s skewed against us.”
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