Fayette allegedly failing disabled

This from the Herald-Leader:

A non-profit legal group alleges that the Fayette County Public Schools systematically fails to identify and help students with emotional and learning disabilities, and in some cases subjects them to harsh discipline.

The allegations are contained in an administrative complaint that the Children's Law Center filed with the Kentucky Department of Education last week on behalf of 12 current or former Fayette County Schools students with learning disabilities.

It alleges that the 12 youngsters were denied services in violation of the U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, and that they represent a class of "similarly situated" students in the district who also may have been denied services.

The law center wants the state education department to name an expert to evaluate the county schools' program for identifying and disciplining students with disabilities. Corrective action should be ordered if violations of the federal act are found, the center says.

It also wants the Fayette Schools to ensure that each child named in the complaint gets an evaluation, an individual education plan, and compensatory education to make up for any lost services.

Fayette Schools Superintendent Stu Silberman said Friday that the district already has started it own investigation into the allegations.

"Preliminarily, we've received documentation contrary to some of the allegations," Silberman said in a prepared statement. "However, we will not draw any final conclusions until we have the complete information." ...