Letter: More Leadership Needed from Town on Special Ed Mess

To the editor:

At its last meeting, the Board of Selectmen discussed expanding our elementary schools due to burgeoning enrollment. With members of the Board of Education in the room, I expected someone to ask about the swelling controversy regarding Special Education in Darien. … Nothing.

It is not the Selectmen's job to set policy for the public schools, or to instruct the Board of Education how to spend its annual operating appropriation. But the Selectmen do have a leadership role in town. They can set the tone for how everyone regards the more vulnerable among us. As of this writing (July 28, 2013), they remain silent.

The CT Department of Education found that Darien violated State and Federal laws regarding the rights of special needs students and their families. New information about this shameful and embarrassing situation (including inappropriate actions by members of the Board of Finance) is revealed every week.1 What are our leaders doing?

On July 25th, the Darien Times astutely observed that the Board of Education's proposed (but not started) internal investigation could be compromised by its law firm's conflicts of interest.2 On July 26th, the Darien News reported that the Board of Education is complaining about the cost of complying with the FOIA requests that uncovered the wrongdoing in the first place.3 Neither revelation inspires confidence that the Board can effectively lead efforts to root out the rot.

E-mails acquired through FOIA requests show that members of the Board of Finance were willing to bankroll the Board of Education's efforts to justify flawed policy.4 Making open-ended financial commitments by e-mail is inconsistent with the Board of Finance's role to oversee Darien's spending in an open and transparent way.

Special Education is not an expensive nuisance; it's a civil right.5 Incurring costs to first defend and then correct avoidable civil rights violations, and to re-tool the damaged Special Education Department are the true expensive nuisances. Re-building trust will take more than money. That requires leadership.

Vickie Riccardo

Darien, CT

1DesRoches, David. “School Board Challenges Board of Finance Involvement.” Darien Times, 7/18/2013. DesRoches, David. “Schools Given Blank Check for Legal Fight.” Darien Times, 7/25/2013.

2Editorial. “Intervention.” Darien Times, 7/25/2013.

3Spicer, Megan. “FOIA Requests Draining On Schools.” Darien News, 7/26/2013.

4DesRoches, David. “Schools Given Blank Check for Legal Fight.” Darien Times, 7/25/2013.

5Laviano, Jennifer. “The Tip of the Iceberg.” 6/16/2013. http://www.connecticutspecialeducationlawyer.com/current-affairs/the-tip-of-the-iceberg/