district
RFH given high marks for special ed. program
Parents critical of
district’s reluctance to test for special needs
BY KATE PICHEL
Correspondent
RUMSON — Once a student in Rumson Fair Haven High School is classified as having special needs, services seem to be exemplary.
However, getting a student classified as having special needs is another matter entirely.
That was the message state Department of Education monitors received at a meeting to discuss the district’s special education program last week.
The meeting, which took place on Oct. 16, is part of the state’s official monitoring of the school’s special education program. DOE officials will be in the district to monitor the actual program on Nov. 17.
"I can call in the morning and, by the afternoon, [the program has] changed," one parent, whose child is in the program, told the monitors.
Another parent said, "things get done right away," and added that the vice principal has called for follow-up on how their child is doing.
When asked if the students were being well prepared for life after high school, one parent said, "The transition class is one of the better classes in the high school."
While those participating in the program were happy with the way their children’s needs are being met, the process of getting a student into the program was not looked upon nearly as favorably.
According to one parent, getting the district to detect any learning disabilities was the problem. "You have to be an advocate for your child or else, if you just went on what the school was doing, your child would fail."
Some parents have gone to a private tester in an effort to discern any learning disabilities their children may have. Parents can request an evaluation from the district, but if the Individual Education Plan (IEP) study team rejects their request, they need to tell the parents why.
The parents can then still get children tested in a specific time frame, and if they can provide enough information for the judge to rule in their favor, then the district must test the child.
Michelle Davis, a monitor with the state, said parents would be wise to get their child tested if they suspected a problem when the district did not.
She agreed that parents had to act fast during high school, "because you only get four years. That is your window."
However, she noted, "You can disagree with them, and they can disagree with you.
One parent said, "It was a struggle because [the district] didn’t find a learning disability — but once we did, things were good, and now my child is on the honor role."
Parents said the real problem was not the high school but the elementary schools. They compared the two as "night and day."
Principal Peter Righi of RFH said the state’s monitoring of the special education program was part of a normal process.
According to Ed Kenney, supervisor of special services for RFH, the monitoring the state does is a very comprehensive process.
The process begins with the state coming to do assessment. The next year, they do monitoring, and the third year, they focus on improvement planning. They’re watching the school constantly, and the process starts over every six years, Kenney said.
Editor’s note: The names of parents of children in the special education program at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School have been omitted to protect their children’s right to privacy.