{"id":13158,"date":"2011-02-08T20:36:14","date_gmt":"2011-02-09T01:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=13158"},"modified":"2011-02-09T03:40:53","modified_gmt":"2011-02-09T08:40:53","slug":"texas-schools-warn-of-litigation-under-budget-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2011\/02\/08\/texas-schools-warn-of-litigation-under-budget-cuts\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas schools warn of litigation under budget cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Texas schools warn of litigation under budget cuts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Monday, February 07, 2011<\/p>\n

BY SOMMER INGRAM<\/p>\n

Associated Press<\/p>\n

AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 Texas school districts could see an increase in lawsuits if
\nspecial needs children are refused admission to the School for the Blind and
\nVisually Impaired and the School for the Deaf because of cuts in the
\nproposed state budget, superintendents told senators Monday.<\/p>\n

Senators on the finance committee heard from superintendents of both
\nschools, who said they are required under federal law to enroll students who
\ncannot be adequately served by their local school districts.<\/p>\n

Bill Daugherty, superintendent for the School for the Blind and Visually
\nImpaired, said if forced to operate with less money as proposed under the
\nstate Senate’s draft budget, the school won’t be able to enroll new students
\nwho have a legal right to a “free, appropriate education” under the federal
\nIndividuals with Disabilities Education Act.<\/p>\n

He warned that parents of blind children have not hesitated in the past to
\nsue if their children are not provided adequate services, and that restoring
\nthe funding that the Senate bill takes away would decrease the likelihood of
\nlitigation.<\/p>\n

The school has no mechanism to cap enrollment, instead placing students on a
\nwait list until a spot becomes available. Daugherty said students currently
\nhave to wait about one month, but that under Senate Bill 1 the wait list
\nwould effectively bar enrollment.<\/p>\n

The School for the Deaf, which has a legal obligation to accept students
\nreferred by local school districts for admission, faces similar obstacles.
\nWith more than 500 students and enrollment steadily increasing, the school
\ncan’t sustain the 10 percent cut lawmakers are proposing without cutting
\npersonnel and making drastic changes in services, superintendent Claire
\nBugen said.<\/p>\n

Students remain in local school districts if they are refused admission.
\nThe schools for the blind and deaf serve some of the most complex learners
\nin the state, and a majority of the students have more than one disability.
\nBugen said only 30 percent of their students have a single disability, she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n

The School for the Blind and Visually Impaired is requesting 15 more
\nteachers and staff, and had hoped for an additional $1.4 million to cover
\nthe cost of providing an education for 12 to 16 new students.
\nDaugherty said the school is also seeking funds to update technology.<\/p>\n

The School for the Deaf wants 18 new teachers and staff. Bugen said the
\nproposed cuts would force the school to lose an overnight physician, leaving
\nsick students to be administered by a dorm parent not a medical expert.<\/p>\n

In the face of a $27 billion budget shortfall, Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan,
\nsaid “it may be appropriate in some cases to charge tuition.”<\/p>\n

Bugen said that is not allowed under federal law.<\/p>\n

“I don’t have a mechanism to do that. I think we’re going to cross into
\nfederal issues under IDEA (Individuals With Disabilities Education Act) when
\nyou start talking about charging parents,” she said.<\/p>\n

In public schools, deaf students often can’t find interpreters or the
\nspecialized education necessary, leaving many otherwise capable students
\nunable to function.<\/p>\n

Neil Leach, the father of a daughter who was born deaf, said his daughter’s
\nexperiences in mainstream public school were “unbelievable.” She was
\nrequired to go to music class, went days without having an interpreter and
\nwasn’t exposed to visual learning, he said.<\/p>\n

Since enrolling at the School for the Deaf, her reading has jumped nearly
\nthree grade levels and she has a teacher who is fluent in American Sign
\nLanguage.<\/p>\n

“Has anyone up here had a deaf child who needs special education?” he asked
\nthe senators. “It’s a completely different education. To charge tuition
\nwould be ridiculous.”<\/p>\n

Source:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.star-telegram.com\/2011\/02\/07\/2829535\/texas-could-be-sued-for-education.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Texas schools warn of litigation under budget cuts Monday, February 07, 2011 BY SOMMER INGRAM Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 Texas school districts could see an increase in lawsuits if special needs children are refused admission to the School for…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[1629,4621,23,21,7960,2424,7953,1164,637,105,7962,7956,7957,7955,7954,92,7959,7958,1235,7961,716,7963,182,17,604,80],"class_list":["post-13158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-american-sign-language","tag-article","tag-asl","tag-austin","tag-bill-daugherty","tag-blind","tag-budget-cut","tag-claire-bugen","tag-disability","tag-education","tag-finance-committee","tag-idea","tag-individuals-with-disabilities-education-act","tag-neil-leach","tag-public-school","tag-school","tag-school-districts","tag-school-for-the-blind-and-visually-impaired","tag-senate","tag-sommer-ingram","tag-state-of-texas","tag-steve-ogden","tag-students","tag-texas","tag-texas-school-for-the-deaf","tag-tsd"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-3qe","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13181,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2011\/02\/10\/texas-schools-warn-of-litigation-under-budget-cuts-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":13158,"position":0},"title":"Texas Schools Warn of Litigation Under Budget Cuts","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"February 10, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Texas Schools Warn of Litigation Under Budget Cuts By SOMMER INGRAM, Associated Press | (AP) Published: February 09, 2011 AUSTIN, Texas -- AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Texas school districts could see an increase in lawsuits if special needs children are refused admission to the School for the Blind and Visually Impaired\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13278,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2011\/02\/17\/bending-a-deaf-ear-towards-the-budget\/","url_meta":{"origin":13158,"position":1},"title":"Bending a Deaf Ear Towards the Budget","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"February 17, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Bending a Deaf Ear Towards the Budget by ARI PHILLIPS Monday, February 14, 2011 The atmosphere at this morning\u2019s House Appropriations Subcommittee meeting on the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) and the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) was somewhat subdued, perhaps owing to the fact\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30077,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2015\/02\/14\/baldwin-dont-sell-texas-school-for-the-deaf-property\/","url_meta":{"origin":13158,"position":2},"title":"Baldwin: Don\u2019t sell Texas School for the Deaf property","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"February 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Baldwin: Don\u2019t sell Texas School for the Deaf property February 13, 2015 By Steve C. 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