The group of parents who complained that Darien Public Schools violated special education law gave a rare accolade to the Board of Education, which recently announced an independent investigation and public hearing on the matter.
Here's the statement the parents released Wednesday:
Statement of Darien Parents
On Action of Board of Education
July 31, 2013
As the petitioners who filed the March 20th complaint with the State Department of Education, we have worked tirelessly over the past four months to ensure a comprehensive and serious investigation, to provide a remedy for those students who lost educational opportunities due to the illegal policies in Darien, and to hold accountable those responsible for harming our children.
Last night, the Darien Board of Education finally showed leadership in its efforts to solve the Special Education crisis. The Board appointed Susan Gamm, a nationally-renown, highly respected, independent attorney, to investigate all aspects of special education in Darien. The Board announced a plan to insure parental involvement in the selection of a new special education director. And, the Board outlined a plan to make whole those students who were harmed by the illegal policies of the last year.
We support and appreciate the Darien Board of Education’s decision to move forward in a constructive, collaborative way to resolve this scandal, and we pledge to work positively with the investigator, with the Darien Board of Education, and with the Administration to ensure high quality education for all the children of Darien.
Sincerely,
The Special Education Parent Petitioners
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