Reply To: Should Special Ed kids be fed non-kosher food.

benignuman

The reasons East Ramapo doesn’t fight special ed parents are because:

A) At least one of the 7 Jewish board members has a special ed child and so they know how it feels.

B) As you say it’s cheaper not to fight the parents every year, because the burden of proof is on the board to show that the public school’s program is in the best interest of the child. If they lose not only do they have to pay their own lawyer as he is not on staff but also the parents’ lawyer too. Plus they pay for the judge and all his support staff.

As far as the E. Ramapo quality special ed program the parents like it and it saves the district $60,000.00 or more per student.

( Private placement cost $70,000., public school placement cost $40,000 plus the $30,000 the state gives the district for each student enrolled in public school. If a State monitor is appointed this program will probably go and these students will probably go to KJ at a cost of $75,000. per kid.

Mammele

There are over 5,000 special ed appeals per year in NYC the vast majority are not Jews wanting private placement. They hired staff to fight these cases so they don’t have to hire outside law firms to represent them so for NYC the cost per case is less. They have a large bilingual education system so they probably have Yiddish speaking teachers. They have kosher food which they serve in city hospitals to kosher patients which could be served to these kids too at a minimal cost. The city saves $60,000 per student so why not fight to keep the child in public school.

To All

This year the law giving the NYC mayor total power over the Board of Education expires. If you want changes to the state law regarding special ed now is the time to speak to your NY State Assembly person or NY State Senator so that it can be attached to the bill granting the authority.

This thread is supposed to be about whether Jewish Special Ed Kids can be fed non-kosher food.

By the way, according to the Asbury Park Press an agreement has been made between the yeshivas and State Monitor of the Board of Ed in Lakewood granting free school busing for all students so Courtesy Busing is back in Lakewood.