We are the parents of a child with cerebral palsy who uses a wheelchair and requires significant physical support throughout the day.
Our child is also a bright and social child who attends a regular Jewish bais yaakov school alongside her peers. This school is her community. It is where she belongs.
Right now, we are facing a battle we never expected to have to fight.
Our local Board of Education is pushing for our child to be placed in the public school system instead.
On paper, the public school can provide special education services. But a placement isn’t just a list of services on a piece of paper.
Our child is not a diagnosis.
She is a child who has friends, teachers, a community, a religious environment and a school where she is known and included. Moving her isn’t simply changing buildings. It would mean removing her from the environment in which she has grown, learned and built relationships and placing her somewhere completely unfamiliar.
We understand that school districts have responsibilities and that special education involves complicated legal standards. We are not asking for special treatment.
We are asking for the opportunity to advocate properly for our child.
Unfortunately, doing that has become incredibly difficult. Fighting a school district can require specialized legal representation costing tens of thousands of dollars—money many families caring for a child with significant disabilities simply do not have.
And we know we are not the only family facing this.
There are other parents being forced to make impossible decisions: spend enormous amounts of money fighting for the placement they believe their child needs, attempt to navigate a complicated system without representation, or accept a placement they do not believe is right for their child.
We are sharing our story anonymously because our child’s privacy matters deeply to us. But we also don’t want to stay silent.
If you are an attorney experienced in special-education law, an advocate familiar with these cases, or someone who has resources or connections that could help families facing situations like ours, we would be incredibly grateful to hear from you.
More than anything, we want our child to have the same thing every parent wants for their child:
A place where she is safe, supported, included and able to thrive.
If you may be able to help, please contact:
[email protected]
TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to us via Whatsapp or via email [email protected]
Reach out to Project Learn at Agudah for guidance.
Unfortunately there is no good answer.
The Board of Education is broke. There is no money.
Who should pay for this care that you want?
I feel terrible for anybody in this situation, but they can’t make money appear from nowhere.
Where are you getting this info from? How are you so sure they’re broke? Plenty of money coming in from super high property taxes; and a very small number of public school students to fund, in comparison to the number of properties being taxed.
They ate paying many millions for non public transportation and many millions for a special ed school. That is why they ate broke
I hope your letter catches the eyes and the hearts of people in the legal profession and the government who can, and are truly motivated, to resolve this issue as soon as possible as the school year begins.
Call Michael Inzelbuch, he is very knowledgeable in matters of special education.
Wouldn’t it be cheaper and easier to just pay the tuition for the special ed school (perhaps with community assistance)?
The child seems to be in a regular Bais Yaakov, asking for special education services to which she is entitled
A child is supposed to be in the “least restrictive environment” which is apparently her current placement. Are you in New Jersey? The law office of Herbert hinkle esq 6098931200 may be helpful. Around 1991, I only threatened a local board of ed that i would retain him, and they complied with my request. In NY, Janaya Kerben Renov Esq is a good choice special Ed/ disability lawyer 5166621572 is the number i have for her. Hatzlocha Rabba
You will need to sign for your child to be a non public student and get all her services through the non public department with a service plan. Special education services through the BOE are for students who attend public schools, or accredited special education schools such as SCHI, Center for Education, New road school, Alpha school, ect… your best bet is to sign your daughter into non public and get service through the non public grands which are allocated by the state, good luck!!
U need to post this on general social media.like Facebook and find someone or a few people with a huge linkdin following. It should be also stated in the letter that private donations, can also help That should do it. It will get the government attention and the attention of wealthy caring people.