The school Child Study Team that decides which students need to be placed in special schools outside of the district should be dismantled, according to a report presented to the school board last week.
By: Lea Kahn
Kathleen M. Rotter, an educational consultant, prepared the report based on school district data at the request of Superintendent of Schools Max Riley.
Among Dr. Rotter’s recommendations was a plan to dismantle the special Child Study Team that handles children who are placed in special education programs outside of the public school district. Some parents who spoke at the meeting objected to that suggestion.
About 18 percent of the school district’s 4,000 students are classified as needing special education. This amounts to 715 students. Of that number, 129 are sent to special schools outside of Lawrence Township, according to school district figures.
Child Study Teams include a social worker, a psychologist and a learning disabilities teacher consultant. The teams determine whether a child needs special education. One team is responsible for determining whether a student’s needs could only be met at a special school outside the district. Dr. Rotter suggested disbanding that team and spreading its caseload more evenly among the other Child Study Teams.
The functions of the specially designated Child Study Team that handles out-of-district placements could be handled by the other teams assigned to Lawrence High School, Lawrence Middle School, Lawrence Intermediate School and the four elementary schools, she said.
Several parents at the meeting objected to dismantling the out-of-district Child Study Team. They expressed concern that their children will be brought back into the school district, even though their children are doing well in those special schools.
The parents also said they were concerned that abolishing the out-of-district Child Study Team means they will lose the case manager the person on the team assigned to follow that child. In some instances, the case manager and the parents have developed a close relationship, they said.
Assistant Superintendent of Schools Bruce McGraw said the children will not automatically be brought back into the public schools. But the child will be assigned to the school-age-level Child Study Team the elementary school, the intermediate school or the middle school, for example.
Efforts will be made to keep the student assigned to the same case manager, Dr. McGraw said, if the team is dismantled. The out-of-district Child Study Team members would be reassigned to the other Child Study Teams, he said.
The Lawrence Township Board of Education plans to appoint a special advisory committee to review recommendations for changes to the school district’s special education program over the summer.
Other suggestions from Dr. Rotter’s report emphasized keeping students in regular classrooms and within the school district, by offering them extra support.
The consultant also recommended reorganizing the leadership of the special education program, which the school board has already done. Upon the retirement of Administrator for Pupil Services Terry Rosenfeld this month, that post was abolished and two positions the supervisors of instructional services were created.
Dr. Rotter also called on the school district to be more careful in following procedures and taking care of the paperwork that accompanies the placement of students in the special education program. It could be costly to the school district and the family if the placement of a student in the special education program were to be challenged in court, she said.
"It’s a courageous thing to do, to open our books to you," school board member Michael Winka said. "We have a very good program. We should want to have a great program. This audit gives us a chance to notch up our program."
"We have been concerned about how to improve upon and build on our successes in the past," said school board member Janardhan Manickam. "Lawrence Township has a reputation of being one of the better school districts (for special education)."