Children’s Advocacy Group Files Complaint With State, Charging Local Schools Violated Students’ Rights

A children’s advocacy organization has filed a complaint with Connecticut Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker asserting local schools have “engaged in widespread violations of the rights of children with disabilities.”

Russell-Tucker has been working with local officials to implement recommended policy and financial reforms following disclosure early this year of a massive budget deficit.

News release from Center for Children’s Advocacy:

Center for Children’s Advocacy, a non-profit civil rights law firm representing low-income children in Connecticut, filed a systemic complaint this summer with state officials alleging that as a result of a gross dearth of resources, Bridgeport Public Schools has engaged in widespread violations of the rights of children with disabilities. CCA specifically alleged that Bridgeport Schools:

1. Failed to provide special education services to children as legally required;
2. Failed to adequately address staff shortages, leaving some children without any access to a special education teacher or a paraeducator necessary for their safety;
3. Violated parents’ legal rights by predetermining what services children could receive without giving parents a right to be heard at special education planning meetings for their child, in violation of federal law.

CCA’s complaint to state officials allege that Bridgeport violated various federal and state laws, including the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA); Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as well as state laws governing delivery of special education services to children with disabilities.

Child specific concerns contained in CCA’s complaint include:

• A young child with Autism was placed in a classroom without a special education teacher and with a paraeducator who had no training to work with autistic children. The child became increasingly frustrated and isolated, and on several occasions was allowed to hit her head against the wall over 250 times without any adult intervening.
• A young child with developmental disabilities spent almost a year and a half in a self-contained classroom with no special education teacher. She substantially deteriorated and began acting out frustration by biting and hitting. She was frequently injured in school and became too afraid to go.
• A young child with developmental disabilities was denied speech and language services for almost an entire school year. He became isolated and frustrated due to an inability to communicate his needs effectively. On one occasion he soiled his pants because staff did not understand his request to go to the bathroom, and he was not changed until he returned home from school.

Staff in Bridgeport have confidentially shared with CCA attorneys that they are afraid to speak up or speak out as they expect retaliation for informing parents of their legal rights.

CCA has previously met with local and state officials and CCA appreciates the commitment from Bridgeport’s interim superintendent to address the widespread concerns about special education in the District. CCA filed this systemic complaint not only to protect the rights of our clients but to protect the rights of similarly situated Bridgeport students and ensure that state officials fully investigate the alarming impact of resource and staffing deficiencies on both the education and safety of the district’s most vulnerable children. CCA will continue to advocate for adequate state funding to protect the rights of children to a safe and appropriate education.

CCA’s complaint can be found here