社区黑料

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 社区黑料 Newsletter

The District of Columbia Public Schools violated the civil rights of students with disabilities and created an 鈥渁dversarial system,鈥� that often forces families to sue in order for their kids to receive services, the U.S. Department of Education .

After a , the department鈥檚 Office for Civil Rights said the district must create a new division focusing on students with disabilities, improve transportation services for those students, and take steps to better identify and accommodate their needs.

鈥淭he district must take immediate action to remedy their violations and protect the rights of current and future students to a free and appropriate public education,鈥� Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a statement. 

The proposed resolution agreement also requires the district to train staff, including bus drivers, on any updated policies. If officials don鈥檛 agree to the terms, OCR 鈥渕ay initiate enforcement,鈥� the announcement said. 

The district, which said from the outset that it would cooperate with the department, is 鈥渃arefully reviewing鈥� the findings, a spokesman said, adding that OCR makes important points about providing clear information to parents and getting their children to and from school. 

Neither the department nor the district, however, has made the full results of the investigation available.

With OCR largely focusing its resources on investigating districts that allow students to compete in sports or use bathrooms based on gender identity, the D.C. investigation is one of the few disability-related cases it has launched and completed since President Donald Trump returned to office. A from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which sparked the probe, found that the district has one of highest rates of special education complaints in the nation. An advisory committee to the commission determined that young children in the district were under-identified for special education services or accommodations for disabilities and that parents were often encouraged to file lawsuits in order to get their children help. 

鈥淭hat obviously favors those who have means, can hire an attorney and know how to get through the system,鈥� said Craig Leen, former vice chair of the advisory committee. A civil rights attorney who served in the Labor Department during Trump鈥檚 first term, he also struggled to get services for his daughter. Now a senior at a charter school in the district, she has autism and an intellectual disability.

The bus was often late or didn鈥檛 arrive at all, creating disruptions to his daughter鈥檚 routine, Leen said. Since the investigation began, he said he鈥檚 seen improvements. The bus comes on time, and to keep parents updated, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, which oversees transportation for students with disabilities in both DCPS and charter schools in the city, is developing a bus .

The district, according to the spokesman, is working with the state agency to 鈥渋mprove real鈥憈ime visibility into bus delays to make certain students do not lose instructional time or access to required services.鈥�

Leen said he鈥檚 not concerned about Education Secretary Linda McMahon鈥檚 plans to transfer OCR or the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to another federal agency as she continues efforts to phase out the department. 

鈥淢y main concern is that they have a designated agency addressing special education,鈥� he said. 

Many of the advisory committee鈥檚 recommendations were based on testimony from Maria Blaeuer, director of programs and outreach with Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc., The organization trains parents and provides to families who haven鈥檛 been able to get services for their children.

The organization is 鈥渢hankful that OCR is paying attention to the many challenges that students with disabilities in the District of Columbia are facing,鈥� Blaeuer said. But she added that it would be premature to comment on the department鈥檚 announcement 鈥渨ithout access to the actual determination鈥� or until a resolution has been reached.

Did you use this article in your work?

We鈥檇 love to hear how 社区黑料鈥檚 reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers.