D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson held a roundtable on education priorities and invited the public to share their ideas. Advocates for Justice and Education, along with a number of other organizations and individuals, testified. While concerns were raised on number of issues including the possibility of school closings, the role of charter schools in the District, two larger themes emerged. One was the lack of transparency in obtaining information and the other was a frustration that schools and the school system are not accountable to parents and the community.
AJE’s testimony raised the need for fully funded quality placement for student with disabilities. The District of Columbia has had a long and sad history of not providing special education in a timely or appropriate way for students. We need the Council to share our concerns and ensure that quality special education services are available for all families.
AJE also raised the issue of school push out. While the Council heard about the difficulties of getting students to attend school the day before, AJE spoke to the fact that many students try to attend school but are removed through informal and illegal suspensions. These suspensions are of great concern as they represent a significant amount of lost instructional time and serve as a gateway for students to exit out of schools and education.
Read the testimony here.
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