Parents blast CPS for cuts in special- ed programs
Parents and advocates for special- needs students rallied at City Hall Friday, blasting the mayor and Chicago Public Schools for proposed funding cuts they call “negligent, cruel and abusive.”
“The state and the city both have a moral responsibility to provide a quality public education to all students,” said Mary Hughes, a special education parent advocate who has a son with autism at CPS. “It’s not that there aren’t solutions, it’s that our elected officials refuse to act in the best interests of our children, and the latest solutions are being made on the backs of our most vulnerable and needy children.”
Late last month, CPS announced it planned to slash $ 12 million in special- education services, on top of $ 42 million in cuts announced in the summer. While insisting the needs of every special- education student will be met, CPS has said the cuts are based on enrollment losses.
But the protesters say the cuts are draconian and fail to take into account the varying needs of special- education students. They say CPS is using a faulty formula in calculating the cuts.
“When it comes to specialeducation staffing needs, one size simply cannot fit all due to the nature of this special quality of special education,” Hughes said. “We plan to hold our elected officials accountable for allowing these negligent, cruel and abusive cuts to go through. And we will ensure parents across Chicago know their children’s rights.”
Protesters said they plan to organize training sessions for parents to help them understand special- education students’ rights.
Ald. Scott Waguespack ( 32nd) stood with the protesters, calling CPS’ special- education policy “wrong- headed.”
“Unless we want lawsuits raining down upon Chicago and on the CPS Board, do the right thing, Mayor [ Rahm] Emanuel and [ CPS] CEO [ Forrest] Claypool,” Waguespack said.
CPS spokeswoman Emily Bittner said in a statement: “Chicago Public Schools is committed to ensuring that all children with individual education programs will receive their needed services. If anyone is aware of a student whose IEP is not being met, we urge them to contact the district. We will continue to work with principals to ensure they have the resources they need to meet students’ IEPs, and we will continue to work with our partners in Springfield to prioritize education funding for all our children.”
Bittner was referring to the Individualized Education Program, a legal document that each special- needs student receives outlining his or her rights and services that CPS must provide them.