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NY still on fed list for special ed problems

Mar 12, 2019 7:00 am
Rick Karlin is reporting for the Times Union the Board of Regents learned Mar. 11, that New York has been on a federal watch list for its failure to properly educate students with disabilities. The Regents set education policy for the state and only learned of the ongoing deficiencies in the state's performance during a presentation by State Education Department staff. The referenced list is part of an analysis of how well individual states are conforming to requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, federal legislation crafted to guarantee an appropriate education for students with disabilities. “I’m just totally confused on how we’ve managed not to know this,” added Regent Judith Johnson. “How could this have happened?” The Albany and Schenectady school districts are listed among the most deficient statewide. State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia and staffers said they previously informed the board of the problems, although it was presented in different ways. Forty-four of the state’s nearly 700 school districts are not meeting the federal standards, according to the 2017-18 Education Department survey. And Albany and Schenectady are in need of federal intervention; a notation on the scoring sheet showed that Schenectady had been on the list for 10 years and Albany had been on it for 12. It was not immediately clear how severe the penalties would be. One possibility would be restrictions on how federal funds are used. Read the full story in the Times Union.