Georgia’s Special Education System Is Broken?

Question

By Sharon Gudger | Thursday, April 5, 2007, 08:00 AM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Despite an individualized education plan and supposed accountability, public schools in Georgia did not, could not and would not teach my daughter to read. Only when I put her in private programs did she begin reading.

I have worked for 12 years to hold the public schools accountable to help all children learn, but the system is broken.

In a recent case I’ve been working on, a Fulton County public school praised the progress of a 10-year-old with high normal intelligence who could only read 100 words in isolation. Yet, this 10-year-old passed the state-mandated tests last year because teachers read the questions to him. The sad truth is this child could be taught to read.

I have helped parents in so many counties, and I see similar situations every day. I’ve worked with parents who moved to Georgia and were appalled at the ineffectiveness of special education here. Our state is known

Answer 1

YES! I know Sharon and she is very good. I am from GA and she is correct in everything. ESPECIALLY Forsyth county. It is VERY bad.

Where is the rest of this article??

Special ed is this way all over the country and not just in GA.

In my experience with the schools in GA, I had to file numerous state complaints with the GA dept of education. The state was/is very well aware of the corruption of GA schools and they allowed it to continue in the county where I live , and others as well.

They allowed the only blind school in GA to tell my daughter that her son HAD to live there, 52 miles away from his home. And come home only on weekends.

When she finally learned they violated the laws, she called the state and the state immediately told the school to let him live at home.

The thing is, the state allowed this until we found them out. We could have filed law suit big time and they don't want this.

We have found out they have done this to MANY  *BLIND* children who are NOT suppose to be living there.  They don't care if the hurt these children, tear them away from their families, cause separation anxiety and who knows what else.

THey get more money by how many kids they have living there and THIS is why this do this. THIS is why corruption is rampant all over the USA, because of MONEY.

Answer 2

Unfortunately Georgia isn't the only state that is broken. Pennsylvania is 5th on the list for IEP violations in the country. Rather than spend our public funds for providing FAPE, they would endorse new programs at the school to make themselves look good. Like the "bully program." But after they get them in place, schools don't follow them anyway. The school board, admin, teaching staff, and support staff are riddled with nepotism and other problems. The state DOE doesn't do much to help either. If they did actually do their job it would make them look like idiots. Because it would identify the fact that they don't monitor the schools like their supposed to, making them guilty as well.