Seattle Schools scramble to fix special-education
The state is putting the Seattle School District on notice to do a better job with special education students, or lose $11 million in funding.
The Superintendent's Office rejected the district's latest plan, and school starts in less than a month. Parents of 7,000 kids in the special education program are worried that they'll go into the year with no new plan in place.
“It`s very frustrating, to the point where parents get burned out entirely and they give up even trying,” said Mary Griffin, the parent of a special-education student and the president of the Seattle Special Education PTSA.
She's upset that the district's latest plan has been rejected by the state.
“We`re not happy that this has dragged on so long, and that the plan may not be employed on the first day of school,” said Griffin. “That`s disappointing.”
Nathan Olson, spokesman for the Superintendent's Office, said, “the situation has gotten out of control. It needs to change and it needs to change now.”
There are several reasons why the state rejected two plans in the last few months, including lesson plans that are out of date, inconsistency in teaching special-ed kids from school to school, and no cost estimates of the plan.
Zakiyyah McWilliams is Seattle School’s new Director of Special-Education. She believes part of the problem stems from a rotating door of special-ed directors, seven in the last six years.
“One of the things that always ensures success is having consistency in leadership,” said McWilliams. “We know there are some adjustments we need to make to the plan, and we're moving forward to make those adjustments.”
McWilliams also vows to work with parents to move the plan forward, and hopes to submit a plan that will pass the grade with the state before the start of the school year.