Breakthrough Article in The Boston Globe About Inequality in Special Education Services in Massachusetts

I just read the extraordinary article in the Boston Globe from yesterday.

The less money a family has, the less likely their child is to receive appropriate special education services. And the greater the level of services needed, the greater the impact of this inequality.

School districts are spending massive amounts of money on out-of-district placements. Some of these agreements for out-of-district placement tuition are public, while others are secret.

Here is a quote from the article:

“The staggering amount being spent to outsource special education in Massachusetts, and the even greater sum that would be required to fully meet demand, reflects the need for schools to provide better and earlier services to students with disabilities, advocates said. While some students, such as those who are medically fragile, will always require specialized settings, children with less intensive disabilities should be properly served at their home schools, they say.”

This is one of the major reasons why Laura Balogh and I wrote The Therapeutic Inclusion Program: Establishment and Maintenance in Public Schools (Routledge).

It looks like The Globe has some more reporting on the topic, and I’m sure I’ll have more to say…