12-03-2004, 03:03 AM
://www.app.com/app/story/0,21625,1130388,00.html
Mother: Autistic son mistreated in Barnegat school
Published in the Asbury Park Press 12/02/04
By GREGORY J. VOLPE
MANAHAWKIN BUREAU
BARNEGAT -- A Barnegat mother, who has said school officials in June used a chair to restrain her autistic son in a room, has filed complaints with the state Department of Education to investigate whether the district broke any laws while educating her two sons.
Leanne Laboy, 41, filed separate complaints regarding her sons, Jason, 8, and Evan, 13, who have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism in which children are able to excel in concrete subjects like math and science but have difficulty with social skills and abstract subjects like reading.
Laboy said school district officials improperly restrained Jason in a room with a chair blocking the door and violated his right to an education by removing him from school with a month left in the year. She also said the district is still not providing a behavioralist or a behavior plan for her son.
"They took away his free appropriate public education and violated his civil rights by removing him from school the month of June and they owe him those weeks of school," Laboy said.
Regarding her other son, Evan, who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in June, she said officials have taken too long to provide an Individualized Education Program and did not provide proper support for him after he received failing scores in reading.
"He's falling behind and he's really feeling it this year," Laboy said. "He's always had a struggle and now he's really struggling. And when they failed him it really hit home for him."
Claudine Eitner, spokeswoman for the district, said: "From the school district's standpoint, I'm sure any investigation will find we are in compliance with all state laws."
In July, Superintendent of Schools Thomas C. McMahon denied that officials locked Jason in a room and said he would welcome an investigation into the matter.
Richard Vespucci, spokesman for the state Department of Education, said Barnegat has had two other special education complaints lodged in the last five years, though it is not an unusual or alarming amount. When a complaint is lodged, state officials investigate whether a violation occurred. If it is determined that one did, the school district has to prepare a corrective action plan, which would be approved and monitored by the state.
Eileen Davis Kovar, Ocean County Coordinator for Asperger Syndrome Education Network (ASPEN), said many parents are reluctant to file complaints for fear of retaliation, though more people are doing so in order to get the modifications needed for their children's education.
"The problem with Asperger's is it's kind of a gray disorder where your kids are functioning in schools so it doesn't look like there's a need for services," she said. "The kids do very well academically, it's the social component with school that tends to be the problem."
Kovar said most children with Asperger's need slight modifications to be able to learn, including training for teachers and help for students breaking down large abstract assignments into small, manageable steps.
"I would just like to see school districts recognize Asperger's and what needs to be done without parents having to jump through hoops to get it done," she said.
Meanwhile, Laboy's advocate, Nancy Fisher, said she is trying to convince the local school district to place both boys in the Coastal Learning Center in Little Egg Harbor, which is geared toward children with autism.
"She definitely needs to get both her kids out of the school district because they don't know anything about the (autism) spectrum and they're wasting their time," Fisher said.
Laboy's problems with the district started toward the end of last school year when she was repeatedly called to take Jason home from school because he could not control himself. Twice, she said, she found him in an office room with a chair blocking the door and staff inside.
He was removed from school for the final month and then sent out-of-district to the Education Academy in Lacey, where he remains.
Gregory J. Volpe: (609) 978-4584 or gvolpe@app .com
ASPERGER'S SYNDROME: A neurobiological disorder on the higher-functioning end of the autism spectrum that has been recognized in the United States since 1994. People with the syndrome have trouble with social and communication skills, but have normal to very superior intellect. Source: http://www.aspennj .org
Mother: Autistic son mistreated in Barnegat school
Published in the Asbury Park Press 12/02/04
By GREGORY J. VOLPE
MANAHAWKIN BUREAU
BARNEGAT -- A Barnegat mother, who has said school officials in June used a chair to restrain her autistic son in a room, has filed complaints with the state Department of Education to investigate whether the district broke any laws while educating her two sons.
Leanne Laboy, 41, filed separate complaints regarding her sons, Jason, 8, and Evan, 13, who have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism in which children are able to excel in concrete subjects like math and science but have difficulty with social skills and abstract subjects like reading.
Laboy said school district officials improperly restrained Jason in a room with a chair blocking the door and violated his right to an education by removing him from school with a month left in the year. She also said the district is still not providing a behavioralist or a behavior plan for her son.
"They took away his free appropriate public education and violated his civil rights by removing him from school the month of June and they owe him those weeks of school," Laboy said.
Regarding her other son, Evan, who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in June, she said officials have taken too long to provide an Individualized Education Program and did not provide proper support for him after he received failing scores in reading.
"He's falling behind and he's really feeling it this year," Laboy said. "He's always had a struggle and now he's really struggling. And when they failed him it really hit home for him."
Claudine Eitner, spokeswoman for the district, said: "From the school district's standpoint, I'm sure any investigation will find we are in compliance with all state laws."
In July, Superintendent of Schools Thomas C. McMahon denied that officials locked Jason in a room and said he would welcome an investigation into the matter.
Richard Vespucci, spokesman for the state Department of Education, said Barnegat has had two other special education complaints lodged in the last five years, though it is not an unusual or alarming amount. When a complaint is lodged, state officials investigate whether a violation occurred. If it is determined that one did, the school district has to prepare a corrective action plan, which would be approved and monitored by the state.
Eileen Davis Kovar, Ocean County Coordinator for Asperger Syndrome Education Network (ASPEN), said many parents are reluctant to file complaints for fear of retaliation, though more people are doing so in order to get the modifications needed for their children's education.
"The problem with Asperger's is it's kind of a gray disorder where your kids are functioning in schools so it doesn't look like there's a need for services," she said. "The kids do very well academically, it's the social component with school that tends to be the problem."
Kovar said most children with Asperger's need slight modifications to be able to learn, including training for teachers and help for students breaking down large abstract assignments into small, manageable steps.
"I would just like to see school districts recognize Asperger's and what needs to be done without parents having to jump through hoops to get it done," she said.
Meanwhile, Laboy's advocate, Nancy Fisher, said she is trying to convince the local school district to place both boys in the Coastal Learning Center in Little Egg Harbor, which is geared toward children with autism.
"She definitely needs to get both her kids out of the school district because they don't know anything about the (autism) spectrum and they're wasting their time," Fisher said.
Laboy's problems with the district started toward the end of last school year when she was repeatedly called to take Jason home from school because he could not control himself. Twice, she said, she found him in an office room with a chair blocking the door and staff inside.
He was removed from school for the final month and then sent out-of-district to the Education Academy in Lacey, where he remains.
Gregory J. Volpe: (609) 978-4584 or gvolpe@app .com
ASPERGER'S SYNDROME: A neurobiological disorder on the higher-functioning end of the autism spectrum that has been recognized in the United States since 1994. People with the syndrome have trouble with social and communication skills, but have normal to very superior intellect. Source: http://www.aspennj .org