New York City schools require families to sign waivers in exchange for services from the Education Department.
New York City parents who missed the deadline to apply for special education services for their children now have the opportunity to receive those services, but with a condition. This condition requires them to agree not to sue the Education Department. This requirement impacts around 3,500 families whose children attend private or religious schools or are home-schooled and receive services like teacher aides, speech therapy, and occupational therapy.
Approximately 17,000 families managed to apply for the program by the June 1 deadline this year, which was not strictly enforced in previous years. However, the families who missed the deadline were left without the services for their children. The Education Department has introduced a waiver for these families, allowing them to receive expedited services within about three days.
Despite this, some experts have raised concerns about the waiver’s wording and the unusual nature of this pre-emptive measure. City Council members were informed about this new waiver program during a briefing, with Councilman Keith Powers expressing his outrage and dissatisfaction with the process.
In summary, New York City parents who missed the special education services application deadline can now access these services by agreeing not to sue the Education Department. The waiver aims to provide expedited services to around 3,500 families whose children have been without these services this school year. However, concerns have been raised about the waiver’s wording and the overall process by some experts and city officials.
Source: The NY Times
