A Hope for Victoria 's future
Donation protected
What do you do when your child is not receiving a proper education? We went to our school district and asked for help. We went through the proper channels. We even resorted to a law suit against the district, alleging that they were not providing her with the education to which she is entitled. And we won. But, unfortunately, the school district has found a way to ensure that they will not have to give her the opportunity that the Impartial Hearing Officer has ordered--by sending her to a private, out-of-district school that has all the tools that would prepare her for a normal life. The school district has the judge’s decision tied up in court, seemingly with the goal of watching her “age out” of school so that they won’t have to pay for her education.
For these complaints only to find out:
In the recent few years ago The New York State Education Department had a department that ensured students who did not fit into an educational environment and were not making meaningful benefit in schools, this specialized department would find placement for the student’s needs.
Once this lead person retired from this specialized department this office was dissolved all people working in this office were assigned elsewhere. Now there is no department to hold NY State schools accountable not even the Federal Educational department is able to hold accountability. I went to a discussion in NY City regarding the State Review Officers inability to make decisions. This department is 3-4 years back logged and has 189 cases remain waiting for decisions.
Sound unbelievable? We would have thought so as well--if we had not lived it.
Here is the background. Victoria is a 17-year-old special education student. She has been in a large, wealthy school district that, frankly, specializes in producing successful students who excel in attending college and becoming professionals. However, this district does not serve its special education students. We know this on a first-hand basis.
Victoria has what is known as an individual education plan, or IEP. According to New York State law, this means that she is supposed to have an educational plan designed to accommodate her needs. In fact, her needs have rarely been addressed; rather, she has been ignored and pushed aside. She is not allowed to take computer classes, even though she is interested in--and adept at--using computers. She is not allowed to participate in extracurricular activities, such as chorus despite the fact that she loves to sing and is very good at singing.
We found the solution: Riverview School, a boarding school located in Massachusetts. We know it works because Victoria attended a summer program there in 2013. She came back with enhanced academics, and she also made friends--real friends--children who have backgrounds similar to hers.
We hired an attorney and proved that the school district failed her. We went to court and won: the Impartial Hearing Officer said that the school district had to pay to send her to Riverview, which costs us with financial aid $59,000 per year. In some states, like Massachusetts, this would have been a done deal.
The victory was short-lived, however, as the school district decided to pull out all the stops to get the case tangled up in more and more court red tape. NY has another layer of bureaucracy to stall the process – a state review officer.
In the meantime, Victoria’s clock is ticking. She is capable of learning, but who will teach her, not only academics, but also the life skills she will need to live a productive, meaningful life?
Riverview School is the answer.
We can’t do it without your help. We have even looked for grants both federal and state none were found to match this need. We have already spent everything we have to pay attorney’s fees. We have taken out a home equity loan on our house to help pay for that expense.
So we are asking for you to consider making a contribution to make Victoria’s dream of an education a reality.
We need to raise $59,000 for 1 year to send Victoria to Riverview so that she can show that she is worth the education that she cannot get through the public school that is determined to stand in her way.
If you want more details about what we have done, how we have tried to work with the school district, or a copy of the 36-page decision from the Impartial Hearing Officer, we would be happy to provide you with it. You can also learn more about Riverview here
http://www.riverviewschool.org/home
We are hopeful that many people will help us with our quest to educate our daughter. It is not too late for her to get help from the professionals at Riverview, even though the people in her own school district have rejected her needs.
We are depending on your generosity to help us raise the money to send her to Riverview. It is our last hope.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Scott, Virginia, and especially Victoria Walsh
For these complaints only to find out:
In the recent few years ago The New York State Education Department had a department that ensured students who did not fit into an educational environment and were not making meaningful benefit in schools, this specialized department would find placement for the student’s needs.
Once this lead person retired from this specialized department this office was dissolved all people working in this office were assigned elsewhere. Now there is no department to hold NY State schools accountable not even the Federal Educational department is able to hold accountability. I went to a discussion in NY City regarding the State Review Officers inability to make decisions. This department is 3-4 years back logged and has 189 cases remain waiting for decisions.
Sound unbelievable? We would have thought so as well--if we had not lived it.
Here is the background. Victoria is a 17-year-old special education student. She has been in a large, wealthy school district that, frankly, specializes in producing successful students who excel in attending college and becoming professionals. However, this district does not serve its special education students. We know this on a first-hand basis.
Victoria has what is known as an individual education plan, or IEP. According to New York State law, this means that she is supposed to have an educational plan designed to accommodate her needs. In fact, her needs have rarely been addressed; rather, she has been ignored and pushed aside. She is not allowed to take computer classes, even though she is interested in--and adept at--using computers. She is not allowed to participate in extracurricular activities, such as chorus despite the fact that she loves to sing and is very good at singing.
We found the solution: Riverview School, a boarding school located in Massachusetts. We know it works because Victoria attended a summer program there in 2013. She came back with enhanced academics, and she also made friends--real friends--children who have backgrounds similar to hers.
We hired an attorney and proved that the school district failed her. We went to court and won: the Impartial Hearing Officer said that the school district had to pay to send her to Riverview, which costs us with financial aid $59,000 per year. In some states, like Massachusetts, this would have been a done deal.
The victory was short-lived, however, as the school district decided to pull out all the stops to get the case tangled up in more and more court red tape. NY has another layer of bureaucracy to stall the process – a state review officer.
In the meantime, Victoria’s clock is ticking. She is capable of learning, but who will teach her, not only academics, but also the life skills she will need to live a productive, meaningful life?
Riverview School is the answer.
We can’t do it without your help. We have even looked for grants both federal and state none were found to match this need. We have already spent everything we have to pay attorney’s fees. We have taken out a home equity loan on our house to help pay for that expense.
So we are asking for you to consider making a contribution to make Victoria’s dream of an education a reality.
We need to raise $59,000 for 1 year to send Victoria to Riverview so that she can show that she is worth the education that she cannot get through the public school that is determined to stand in her way.
If you want more details about what we have done, how we have tried to work with the school district, or a copy of the 36-page decision from the Impartial Hearing Officer, we would be happy to provide you with it. You can also learn more about Riverview here
http://www.riverviewschool.org/home
We are hopeful that many people will help us with our quest to educate our daughter. It is not too late for her to get help from the professionals at Riverview, even though the people in her own school district have rejected her needs.
We are depending on your generosity to help us raise the money to send her to Riverview. It is our last hope.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Scott, Virginia, and especially Victoria Walsh
Organizer
Virginia Walsh
Organizer
Ballston Center, NY
