Families vs. Schools: The High-Stakes Battle over Special Ed Services
Parents take legal action against San Francisco school district over federally mandated support
By TREY BUNDY on May 19, 2011 - 5:59 p.m. PDT
Russell Huerta, with his son Sebastian, 3, who has autism. Huerta and his wife took legal action against the San Francisco district over Sebastian’s education.
In October, after months of anxiety, Caroline Barwick and her husband, Russell Huerta, celebrated the arrival of their son Sebastian’s third birthday.
It was the day the San Francisco Unified School District became legally responsible for addressing Sebastian’s severe autism.
Barwick and Huerta met with school clinicians to discuss their son’s education and treatment. But the meeting did not go as they had hoped — the district offered Sebastian fewer than half of the therapeutic services recommended by three private doctors and did not offer a choice of schools.
“You’re reeling from what’s already been a tragic diagnosis,” Barwick said, “then it’s almost like you’re slapped across the face.”
The couple took legal action against the district. Last week, an administrative law judge criticized the district for its handling of the case and ordered it to reimburse
Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/12su4)