EBD Blog

Sometimes I just have to wonder about why schools refuse to serve students who apparently need help. Mayhaps it’s just that I don’t have all the data on some of the cases that I see, that there really isn’t any need for services. That must be it in this case.
Here’s the story as told by the Coles County Leader (Tuscola, IL, USA):

An Odyssey of the Mind finalist in seventh grade, in the 99th percentile on his eighth grade standardized test and placed in Honors english in ninth and tenth grade, Will Sailors’ was a bright young man who for some reason couldn’t keep his grades on par with his intellect.
Although treated with medication and counseling for an emotional disturbance, he finished at CMS with a grade average below a D and as a CHS freshman failed 5 of six classes and barely got a D in PE. As a sophomore, Will’s grades were lower than ever and he racked up seven police citations by October.

Will’s parents requested an eligibility hearing in the fall of 2003, didn’t get one within the requisite number of days, and eventually enrolled Will in a private placement where he flourished, according to the article. The out-of-district placement is, of course, expensive.

Will’s IEP was finally completed on January 13 of this year. The district officially determined that Will is disabled and needs to be placed in a residential facility at state expense. But after ten weeks, it has yet to happen even though Illinois law requires that the IEP be implemented “as soon as possible.” Meanwhile, the Sailors continue paying the monthly costs for their son and hope that the due process hearing will soon lighten their load.

Maybe the newspaper just makes it seem like a simple case. Maybe a due process hearing will reveal another side to it.