Politico Article -- Bridges and other schools??

[Anonymous]

Is this really happening in schools to special needs kids? Seclusion and restraint?

"According to a lawsuit filed on behalf of her parents in the U.S. District Court in D.C. in April, Abagail was 3 years old and could barely see or speak because of disabilities stemming from brain damage at birth when three teachers aides and one teacher in her pre-K classroom at Bridges Public Charter School in Washington put her on a cot, piled bean bag chairs on top of her, and put their feet on the bean bags to hold her down during nap time. The lawsuit also alleges that Abagail, whose last name is being withheld at the request of her parents, screamed throughout the 2015 ordeal, which happened several times that year. She allegedly became anxious and fearful, and the complaint suggests her intellectual capacities regressed."

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/29/department-education-violent-discipline-special-needs-children-215881

[Anonymous]

of course it happens. whether it happened as Abagail's parents say it did in the lawsuit is for the court to decide. But there are definitely physical interactions between staff and students in DC schools, and some schools handle things better than others.

[Anonymous]

I think this thread pairs well with the other thread about how "we don't talk about LAMB business" (they are purging school leadership for looking the other way on sex abuse) and the City Paper article talking about how the charter sector wants even less oversight. I'm sorry, we can talk about Ballou all we want, but people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Zero transparency in the charter sector is beginning to scare me a lot. I sat in a hearing on lead in the water in DC schools and the charter schools sent a lawyer to argue that they shouldn't be required to test and report lead in the water. These are old DCPS buildings that they are taking over in many cases, and if there are lead in water problems at existing DCPS schools, they are in the charter sector too - we just will never know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this thread pairs well with the other thread about how "we don't talk about LAMB business" (they are purging school leadership for looking the other way on sex abuse) and the City Paper article talking about how the charter sector wants even less oversight. I'm sorry, we can talk about Ballou all we want, but people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Zero transparency in the charter sector is beginning to scare me a lot. I sat in a hearing on lead in the water in DC schools and the charter schools sent a lawyer to argue that they shouldn't be required to test and report lead in the water. These are old DCPS buildings that they are taking over in many cases, and if there are lead in water problems at existing DCPS schools, they are in the charter sector too - we just will never know.

Interesting. I work in a charter school. We did led testing and had to report it. I don't know if that's true of all charter schools or what happened after the report we made. Still on the point about transparency, there's a lot of reporting to the charter board, to OSSE, etc. but it doesn't seem to go anywhere.

[Anonymous]

A friend of mine had a negative experience at Bridges with her disabled son.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A friend of mine had a negative experience at Bridges with her disabled son.

I know several people whose children with disabilities had negative experiences at Bridges.

But the problem goes beyond the (terrible) choices Bridges made. It's the very concept of charter schools getting public money without accepting public oversight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend of mine had a negative experience at Bridges with her disabled son.

I know several people whose children with disabilities had negative experiences at Bridges.

But the problem goes beyond the (terrible) choices Bridges made. It's the very concept of charter schools getting public money without accepting public oversight.

+1. A friend with special needs twins was so excited to send her kids there. They left to the suburbs before the year was out.

[Anonymous]

I'm a parent with two children, one of whom is a special needs kiddo. The suit is crazy. It's based upon unfounded allegations from two years ago. The school investigated it. CPS investigated it. Parents met with staff. Parents met among themselves. We need to get a grip on reality. Bridges has been at it for more than 10 years, serving special needs kiddos better than any other public or public charter school in the city. Only other one I'd consider for my kiddo is Creative Minds but Bridges' inclusion model is way more real world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend of mine had a negative experience at Bridges with her disabled son.

I know several people whose children with disabilities had negative experiences at Bridges.

But the problem goes beyond the (terrible) choices Bridges made. It's the very concept of charter schools getting public money without accepting public oversight.

This argument is nonsensical. There is oversight. Ynfortunately even with oversight there are issues in traditional public schools and in charters. Or perhaps you believe the Ballou story was made up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend of mine had a negative experience at Bridges with her disabled son.

I know several people whose children with disabilities had negative experiences at Bridges.

But the problem goes beyond the (terrible) choices Bridges made. It's the very concept of charter schools getting public money without accepting public oversight.

Not so. The financials of every charter school are subject to way more oversight and transparency than public schools. Each school's financials are subject to an independent outside audit and are publicly available - balance sheet, income statement, everything. Plus, a financial report filed with the IRS, which is publicly available. Plus, academics, staffing, attendance, etc. are all measured and reported on publicly. In contrast, I heard that more than $180 million was spent renovating Duke Ellington due to poor planning, poor oversight, and rampant cost overruns. Our city tax dollars hard at work? Not well.

[Anonymous]

At a bare minimum there is a culture of bullying children in several classrooms at Bridges. I can understand that parents of kids at Bridges will have had vastly different experiences because the culture in each classroom is very different. Unfortunately several staff at the school regularly cross the line with inappropriate treatment of children at the school. The same staff members intimidate the principal, admin, and other teachers. It is very hard to prove guilt in cases such as the ones described in the article. I believe the claims to be true and feel a great deal of respect for that family to not be bullied into silence and fight to protect other kids who may not have advocates outside of the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend of mine had a negative experience at Bridges with her disabled son.

I know several people whose children with disabilities had negative experiences at Bridges.

But the problem goes beyond the (terrible) choices Bridges made. It's the very concept of charter schools getting public money without accepting public oversight.

Not so. The financials of every charter school are subject to way more oversight and transparency than public schools. Each school's financials are subject to an independent outside audit and are publicly available - balance sheet, income statement, everything. Plus, a financial report filed with the IRS, which is publicly available. Plus, academics, staffing, attendance, etc. are all measured and reported on publicly. In contrast, I heard that more than $180 million was spent renovating Duke Ellington due to poor planning, poor oversight, and rampant cost overruns. Our city tax dollars hard at work? Not well.

Way more oversight? https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/article/20984282/does-dc-charter-schools-autonomy-come-at-the-cost-of-public-accountability

This oversight problem was highlighted in 2013, when D.C.’s attorney general Irvin Nathan sued three former Options Public Charter School leaders for laundering over $3 million into two for-profit companies they owned. Nathan filed a second suit several months later against the founder of Community Academy Public Charter for allegedly diverting more than $13 million into a shell management company. But both schools had passed the PCSB’s financial inspection, with the charter board concluding that Options and Community Academy had demonstrated “no patterns of fiscal mismanagement.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend of mine had a negative experience at Bridges with her disabled son.

I know several people whose children with disabilities had negative experiences at Bridges.

But the problem goes beyond the (terrible) choices Bridges made. It's the very concept of charter schools getting public money without accepting public oversight.

Not so. The financials of every charter school are subject to way more oversight and transparency than public schools. Each school's financials are subject to an independent outside audit and are publicly available - balance sheet, income statement, everything. Plus, a financial report filed with the IRS, which is publicly available. Plus, academics, staffing, attendance, etc. are all measured and reported on publicly. In contrast, I heard that more than $180 million was spent renovating Duke Ellington due to poor planning, poor oversight, and rampant cost overruns. Our city tax dollars hard at work? Not well.

Way more oversight? https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/article/20984282/does-dc-charter-schools-autonomy-come-at-the-cost-of-public-accountability

This oversight problem was highlighted in 2013, when D.C.’s attorney general Irvin Nathan sued three former Options Public Charter School leaders for laundering over $3 million into two for-profit companies they owned. Nathan filed a second suit several months later against the founder of Community Academy Public Charter for allegedly diverting more than $13 million into a shell management company. But both schools had passed the PCSB’s financial inspection, with the charter board concluding that Options and Community Academy had demonstrated “no patterns of fiscal mismanagement.”

One school, four years ago, amid some 65 in the city??!! Tell me you think the oversight of public schools is better and I'll buy a bridge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe the claims to be true and feel a great deal of respect for that family to not be bullied into silence and fight to protect other kids who may not have advocates outside of the school.

Yeah, and I believe Donald Trump legitimately won the election. Puhleeeze.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent with two children, one of whom is a special needs kiddo. The suit is crazy. It's based upon unfounded allegations from two years ago. The school investigated it. CPS investigated it. Parents met with staff. Parents met among themselves. We need to get a grip on reality. Bridges has been at it for more than 10 years, serving special needs kiddos better than any other public or public charter school in the city. Only other one I'd consider for my kiddo is Creative Minds but Bridges' inclusion model is way more real world.

Curious why you think this. Bridges has a self contained classroom for kids with disabilities and CMI doesn’t. By definition the kids in that room are not enjoying “inclusion.” It sounds from the article like that is the classroom Abigail was in. It doesn’t take a huge stretch of the imagination to think that abuse is more likely in a room with only young children with serious disabilities many of whom probably cannot report what is going on.