Addressing the Issues for Our Children

Many residents in Cherry Hill have decided to begin a letter writing campaign to address the myriad of difficulties that families face in educating our children with special needs. I will be sharing letters from those residents over the next few weeks. To have your letter posted, please email me at: kathimagee@verizon.net

The first letter that I have posted (see below) was sent to the Board of Education by two very concerned parents, Greg Blackburn and Kyra Smith.

Dear Board Members,

Now that the election for the Cherry Hill Board of Education is over, we are once again writing to raise our concerns regarding the provision of special education services within the Cherry Hill School District and the manner in which the district’s Special Education Department conducts its affairs. This issue was raised time and again by all of the candidates during the election. The winning candidates also talked extensively about seeking input from all concerned. In this spirit we offer the following comments:

Cherry Hill ’s Special Education Department and the services it provides are in crisis for many reasons, the most serious of which we have enumerated below:

1) Students are not receiving related services as outlined in their Individual Education Plan document (IEP). In addition to failing to provide needed therapies, which has already been heavily mentioned in the past, another example of the district’s lack of compliance is that full participation in extra-curricular and non-academic activities is often guarantee in the IEP document, yet the district routinely fails to honor this guarantee or develop a plan for each student that details, the “how”, “when” and “where” to ensure a child’s participation in these activities. By failing to provide the necessary aids, modifications, and supports to ensure this participation, the district violates federal and New Jersey law, which state that the district must ensure that each child receiving special education be educated in the “least restrictive environment” and with as much exposure to their non-disabled peers as possible.

2) IEP plans are legally deficient for many reasons, including vague and immeasurable goals that make a child’s progress or lack of progress impossible to track, and services that are not uniquely tailored to each child’s strengths, needs and abilities as required by law.

3) The Child Study Team fails to take parental input into consideration when making decisions, and key decisions, including placement decisions, are frequently pre-determined before the IEP meeting. Again, this is a breach of state and federal law, which underscores the importance of parental participation and the need for IEP team members, including parents, to reach consensus at IEP meetings.

4) The Cherry Hill school district frequently sends district representatives to IEP meetings who are not empowered to commit district resources and therefore are “lame ducks” with no real authority to make decisions on behalf of a child. Further, district administrators routinely exercise “veto power” over decisions made by the IEP team during IEP meetings. Per federal and state law, district representatives attending IEP meetings, as well as the IEP team as a whole (including parents) should be empowered to make decisions, and school administrators who fail to attend IEP meetings are disallowed from rejecting IEP team decisions made in good faith.

5) Although parents have broad discretion to invite anyone to their children’s IEP meetings, Cherry Hill school district routinely prevents certain individuals, especially therapists and classroom assistants, from attending IEP meetings. This behavior most certainly violates the spirit of federal and state special education law. Parents frequently hear excuses from case managers including, “this person is not a certified therapist and he/she cannot make recommendations to the IEP team.” Per state and federal l aw , anyone attending an IEP meeting can make a recommendation! Another excuse being used is that the assistant or therapist “has a very busy schedule and will not be available on the day of the IEP.” Most troubling is that parents recently learned that the district is instructing certain individuals to tell parents that “I’ll have to check my schedule” after parents invite them to the IEP meeting. Unsurprisingly, these individuals always have a “schedule conflict” that prevents them from attending the meeting!

6) Instructional assistants, who often work extremely closely with special-needs children in the district and are in an excellent position to engage in meaningful dialogue with parents, have been told by the district that they are not to discuss a student’s education with parents. Apparently this is “a human resources policy” within the Cherry Hill school district.

7) Lack of communication by district administration is an enormous problem, and exemplifies the dismissive and uncooperative attitude of the Special Education Department towards its students and their families. Parents who raise any type of concern are immediately labeled as “difficult” and, if they are lucky enough to be responded to at all, are responded to in a condescending and evasive manner. If parents continue to raise concerns they are eventually ignored altogether, leaving them with the sole recourse of exercising their due process rights and filing a compliance complaint or filing for mediation and/or a fair hearing. The mediation and hearing process is extremely time-consuming and expensive, both for parents as well as for the district.

Sadly, it is Cherry Hill ’s already overstretched taxpayers who ultimately bear the costs of the district’s misdeeds and failure to communicate, in the form of costly district attorneys who prolong the resolution process for even the simplest matters. The leadership of the Special Education Department routinely ignores emails and telephone calls and only grudgingly and evasively answers questions at public meetings. It has become obvious to parents, and to the public at large, that they refuse to take ownership of any of the issues that have been raised over the last year. Responsibility for the “Quiet Room” incident and the problems that led to the termination of the vocational Shop-West Program has been placed on the local principals. Does the Special Education Department bear no responsibility for these problems? If not, why does this department require no less than four high-level administrators to conduct its day-to-day affairs?

This leaves our family and many others asking, what does the leadership of the Cherry Hill School District’s Special Education Department actually do? We see no willingness to admit to the problems this district is facing and work with parents and staff to build better programs. It is incredible that the Board of Education recently voted to add yet another special education administrator to this already ineffectual and top-heavy department, while simultaneously maintaining that the district cannot afford to pay the current market rates for therapists providing critical services to our children.

One could point to the recently state-ordered “self-assessment” as a “step in the right direction.” Given the manner in which the district controls communication, disregards parental input and (at the very least) seems to prefer to operate in the murky margins of special education law, can anyone really believe that the leadership f this department is going to allow an authentic self-assessment report to go to the Department of Education? A comprehensive report that includes the unedited comments of parents, and addresses the true level of non-compliance plaguing this district?

An honest self-assessment would be a damning document that catalogs the gross mismanagement of the Special Education Department. Such mismanagement is responsible for the routine violations of federal and state laws outlined above, and has fostered a general attitude of disregard for the legal and educational rights of the students that the district is responsible for educating. Additionally, a true assessment would make mention of the atmosphere of fear and retaliation that many staff members and parents are forced to operate under, and the complete disregard of any parental input in the IEP process. Instead, we fear that the actual self-assessment produced will be a heavily diluted, redacted and deceptive document that won’t address what is genuinely happening in the Cherry Hill Special Education Department. Once again, an opportunity to genuinely improve will be lost due to the fragile egos and personal agendas of district leadership.

The fact remains that the district administration in general, and the leadership of the Special Education Department in particular, operate from an entrenched defensive position and choose to automatically deny that any concerns raised or criticism issued has any basis in truth. Rather than embracing parental concerns and welcoming a movement for positive change, the current administration would rather spend valuable time offering point-by-point rebuttals to letters sent by concerned parents, or worse, waste taxpayer money by hiding behind attorneys who delight in protracting the resolution process.

Greg Blackburn and Kyra Smith

Election Results

If you saw the election results in this morning's Courier Post, it appears that they printed the numbers before the final count was available.

The budget passed.
Yes votes: 4,126 (53.06%)
No votes: 3,650 (46.94%)

The new Board of Education members are: Klukoff, Roth, Goodwin.

The breakdown of votes is as follows:
Muldowney: 2,546
Cheston: 1,156*
Klukoff: 4,198
Roth: 4,599
Chaifetz: 1,959
Goodwin: 4,699

*Note: A few people had emailed me to let me know that "Cheston" was directly under Nancy Muldowney's name and that Stu Chaifetz's name was one before the last. They were concerned that people may accidentally click on Cheston's name thinking it was Chaifetz. I didn't think that would happen, but later learned that my mother almost cast a vote for Cheston by accident!

I know that many people following this blog are not thrilled with the results, but I really think that we should give these guys a chance. They came into this knowing that there are many issues related to special education. In fact, one of their priorities was to address the special education challenges. We need to enlighten them to the specific issues, before we hold them accountable for addressing the problems.

I hope everyone understands that this is going to take some effort on our part, too. We have a small group of parents that have been bringing issues before the board. We should encourage other parents that are facing these challenges to attend BOE meetings and speak up on a regular basis. It is the collective involvement of everyone that makes a difference for our children!

I do not know if the K-R-G team follows my blog, but if they do -- I would like to say congratulations. We have many challenges that lie ahead and special education will most likely be a very big part of the issues that are brought before you. I hope we can all respect each others differences and work collectively at making our school district a better place to educate ALL of Cherry Hill's children.

Election Day!

Well, it's election day and we all know what that means! For some of us it means going out to vote like responsible citizens. For others, it means slick tricks and dirty tactics!

Earlier today I noticed that a sign for Muldowney and Chaifetz near the Cherry Hill Mall had been removed. On our way to vote, I noticed that a sign for Muldowney and Chaifetz, near the park on Chapel Ave (just before Cherry Hill West) had been kicked down. How convenient that the K-R-G signs were still in place!

When I returned home, I happened to be checking my email and received this message from Stu Chaifetz:

Dear Kathi,
Polls had not been open for more than a few minutes before I got the first call of a dirty trick being played by our opposition.

The first instance was at Knight School, were, we were told, when one of our people went to vote, she was told by a Roth/Goodwin/Klukoff supporter that they were for lowering taxes and Nancy and I were for raising them. An absolute lie.

The second call came in before 3pm. I was told that at Barclay, a Roth/Goodwin/Klukoff supporter was standing right in front of the door where the voting was taking place and pressuring Senior citizens. This is a total violation of the rules, and our supporter reported it to the election monitors and had the opposing person moved.

I do not understand the thinking that allows such dishonorable tactics to be used, and, quite frankly, I never want to.

Whatever happens at the end of the day, I promise you that the people of our town are going to hear about all the disgraceful acts committed by those few people who want to rule our schools. It's time that everyone knows who the Cherry Hill Committee for All Children are, who supports them and what they get from it.

Stu Chaifetz

It's sad that people feel the need to resort to such tactics, rather than try to win an election on honesty and integrity.

If you know of any other slick tricks being played, feel free to post them as a comment.

Dangerous Spin

While I have not always been in agreement with Mayor Platt on various issues, I applaud him for finally asking that we take a closer look at our school district's spending habits. I do not agree that Mayor Platt was "attacking the school district." He made mention of the cuts that the township has made and asked other agencies to look more closely at their spending. He did not target the schools and blame them entirely, he also mentioned the county and the fire district. He seemed to want to bring the township together so that we may all play a role in the solution. To hear others blow this out of proportion and attempt to divide our community further is sad, to say the least.

The only reason that school officials are opposed to these types of statements is because they do not want to be held accountable for anything! It is easier to create a divide and take the focus off of the real issue -- mismanagement and lack of accountability. The old expression "divide and conquer" comes to mind. They seem to be the words that our administrators live by! They attempt to pit parents against teachers, just like the division they tried to cause between special education and regular education parents. Now they are trying to divide our community on this critical issue. This puts a dangerous spin on the situation and our community needs to stand up and say "enough is enough!"

I have to point out that I do not agree that our teacher’s salaries should be attacked as the reason for our school taxes being so outrageous. When you look at the numbers, the average salary for a teacher in a comparable district to Cherry Hill, is about $55,500 per year. Our teacher’s annual salary is an average of $50,569 per year. They are earning approximately $5,000 less than the average teacher salary in a comparable school district. We are damn lucky to have retained the wonderful teaching staff that we have based on those numbers!

I do not believe that Mayor Platt is actually upset by the salaries of our teaching staff. There is much more to the school budget than that! Just take a look at the average salaries of administrators and you will surely see one of the main problems. In school districts comparable to Cherry Hill, the average administrator salary is $111,181. The average administrator salary in Cherry Hill is $122,166. Our administrators are paid approximately $11,000 more per year than average and we have far too many of them!

When it comes to our children, the average spending cost per pupil in comparable districts is $12,806. We are only spending $11,939 per student. We spend $867 dollars less per child per year, pay our teachers an average of $5,000 less per year, but pay our administrators $11,000 more per year! Does anyone else see a problem with this? And the school district has the nerve to highlight this fact in the recent budget pamphlet, as if it is an accomplishment! I say, it is a disgrace!

Our administrators are OK with wasting our money and nobody has held them accountable. It never occurred to our administrators that if they provided the special education services that are mandated, they would save an exorbitant amount in legal fees. It never occurred to them to stop handing out no-bid contracts. It never occurred to them that their high salaries have become a tremendous burden on taxpayers. It never occurred to them that if they would pay their invoices on time, they would avoid high monthly interest rates. It’s not like they didn’t have the money to pay invoices on time. $7.2 Million dollars of OUR MONEY was sitting there as a surplus amount!

When taxpayers questioned the surplus amount, they were made to look like fools. What surplus? We don’t have extra money lying around. In the meantime, Dr. Campbell had instituted a spending freeze because there was a question over our school district’s funds lasting through the end of June 2007. How many special needs children went without required therapies or needed support because of that spending freeze? How many teachers dipped into their own pockets for supplies in our classrooms? Which one of our administrators can’t add and subtract over there? If you have $7.2 Million extra – you have a surplus of funds!

Now suddenly we learn that taxpayers were right on target with their own calculations of the surplus. The school suddenly admits to a $7.2 Million fund balance. Yes, that would be a $7.2 Million surplus! And now they want more of our money?

Mrs. Giaccio, board of education member, claims that "the school district has cut administrators." From where? This budget calls for adding more! We need a board of education that is focused on serving our children and not catering to administrators. We need fiscal responsibility and leadership accountability. We need board members that do not have conflicting interests. We need a budget that is reasonable and affordable for residents. Yes, our children deserve a great education -- so put the money back in the classrooms where it belongs.

Please join me at Monday night's town council meeting to support teachers, children and taxpayers! The school district is putting a dangerous spin on this and we need to stop this at once! While we agree that our district has mismanaged funds and that it is time for true leadership and accountability in our schools, it would be sad to see our community divided again on critical issues.

Please also get out to vote on Tuesday! In my opinion, we need people like Nancy Muldowney and Stuart Chaifetz on our school board, who attend board of education meetings on behalf of all parents and taxpayers and have said, “Enough is enough!”

*Salary figure comparisons, as noted above, are from the Cherry Hill Public Schools publication, "Details of the 2008-2009 Proposed budget.

Politics or Politricks?

Perhaps I have been a bit naive in my thinking that when people run for the local school board it simply comes down to voters weighing their options and voting their conscience. I guess I thought that dirty tricks in politics were something that primarily occurred in big elections, like the Presidential election. It appears we have our own little dirty tricks that play out in Cherry Hill.

I recently learned that the Cherry Hill Committee for All Children, who is sponsoring the Klukoff, Roth, Goodwin party; has some interesting supporters that are members of our current board of education. I will talk more about that in a follow up blog posting, but I had an opportunity to read this letter from Stuart Chaifetz and I thought it may be of interest to blog readers (see below). It certainly shows the games that are played by the CHCC.
Kathi Magee


Dear Friends,

When I ran for the Board of Education last year, I was unaware of the political dirty tricks that seem to be part and parcel of elections in our town. Though I experienced what I consider to be very heinous dirty tricks at the very start of my campaign last year (we can discuss this later if you desire), it was the slate of Kirk, Arnold and Carapellucci that took the brunt of the attack, which came from supporters of the Cherry Hill Committee for All Children (CHCC).

For those not aware, the CHCC is the fundraising committee that supported and funded the campaigns of BOE members Hartmann, Robbins, Conn and Giaccio, as well as our opponents in this election. I had hoped that this year things would be different, but I was wrong.

Their first attack came at a most unexpected event; the monitoring hearing for Special Education. This was not a political event in any manner, but a forum for parents of special needs children, of which I am one of, to talk about the serious problems with special education in our schools. And when I began to speak about my son, supporters of the CHCC began to jeer and taunt me. It was, in my opinion, a disgraceful act, but it wasn't the last.

If you saw the debate (which is running every night on channel 19 at 7 pm) then you will get an idea of what I am talking about. Even though one of my opponents had the opportunity to challenge or attack me during the hour and a half debate, he waited until after I had given my closing, and was unable to respond, and then attacked. At first I thought "what a dirty trick," but when I realized that I had just said that the supporters of our opponents mock people they don't agree with, and then he not only mocked me, but the CHCC supporters joined in with clapping, I saw that he had proven the point that I was trying to make.

Two days ago, my running mate, Nancy Muldowney, received the following email from one of the major supporters of the CHCC:

Nancy,
We have received calls from property owners that Muldowney/Chaifetz signs have been placed on property where there is a Klukoff/Goodwin/Roth sign without expressed permission from the property owner. When placing a sign on private property, you must have expressed permission from the property owner.

Because a Klukoff/ Goodwin/ Roth sign exists on a property does not mean that a Muldowney/Chaifetz sign can be placed next to it without expressed permission. For example, the Muldowney/Chaifetz signs on the corners of [location deleted], as well as your sign on [location deleted], were not authorized.

I suggest you have these and any other unauthorized signs removed to avoid any inevitable citations or fines.
Thank you.
Colleen

Imagine receiving such an email, one that implies a threat of legal action, and how it would make you feel. Nancy did two things: She checked with the property owners and she forwarded me the email that Colleen had sent her. (My response to this person is at the end of this letter.)

I made a promise to myself before the election that, if we were attacked by the CHCC, that I would respond publicly and forcefully, and expose what had happened to the people of our town. This is why I spoke about this at the debate, and why I am writing to you now.

If you are tired of these dirty tricks, and the domination of us all by a few select people, then send a strong message and use your vote on April 15th to say 'enough'.

Sincerely,
Stuart Chaifetz

PS: Here's another tidbit you should know: the CHCC wanted Nancy to run on their slate this year, but she turned them down. No matter what happens on election day, I am honored to have been on the same ticket with Nancy Muldowney.

The following is what I sent back to the representative of the CHCC:

Dear Colleen,
Thank you for your note about our campaign signs.

Nancy spoke to some of the property owners you mentioned and made the following
remarkable discoveries:

1. [location deleted]. When Nancy asked [name deleted] that owns the property about putting up the signs, he said, "no-nothing political." She then said, "Are you aware that there is already a political sign(Klukoff/Roth/Goodwin) out there?" He said, "There is? Well than put yours right next to theirs."

So, we've secured permission for that area, while, apparently, you did not. Have no
fear; I will not report you to the police, so you won't be subject to any inevitable citations or fines.

2. Nancy spoke with someone from [location deleted] who was not sure if the area that you referred to was their property. They said that if it is their property,
nobody is permitted to put up political signs.

If the area in question is a development, then that development cannot chose to have one sign or the other, it has to be both or none at all. I hope this clears this up for you. I will let you know if you need to remove your sign from that area when we hear back from them.

Rest assured that if any of our supporters accidentally puts up a campaign sign on private property, where it should not be, then we will remove it immediately. Just supply us with an exact address and I will personally rectify the situation within hours. Here's my cell phone so you can contact me with no delay: [cell # deleted]

I should also tell you that since the debate we've had an enormous request for signs for private property. These are people who join with us in wanting a democratic board free from the influence of one particular committee. I would hope that if any of your supporters were to place one of your signs on these parcels of land, that you would remove them with the same speed and efficiency that I offer.

I have to wonder if the complaints you have received are actually people pranking you. You see, there are supporters of our opposition who harass people (the monitoring hearing is a good example), and with their vague expressions of wrongdoing, what they told you gives me the same feel. Unless they supply you with specifics, I would ignore them.

Sincerely,
Stuart Chaifetz

Vote for Two, Nancy and Stu!

Nancy Muldowney and Stuart Chaifetz are two of the candidates running for the Board of Education in Cherry Hill. With election day quickly approaching, I thought it would be important for people to hear their philosophies and learn what type of board members they will be, if elected. I have gathered their answers to some of your most critical questions. Whether you are for the budget or against it, I encourage every registered voter to get out and exert your right to vote on April 15th!

KM: "I would like both of you to respond to this first question. One of the key concerns of every parent in Cherry Hill is the quality of the education that their children receive, but as taxpayers they are really feeling the financial crunch. How do you balance those concerns to address both issues?"

Chaifetz: "We too, are struggling under the weight of rising taxes. We want all of the children in Cherry Hill to receive the best education possible, but we also desire fiscal responsibility and leadership accountability. We have an incredibly expensive Administration; six of the top Administrators receive salaries and benefits that cost us more than $1,000,000 a year. This does not include our Superintendent, who takes from us an additional $250,000 a year. Over the term of his 4 year contract he will withdraw from our wallets more than $1,000,000 in salary and benefits. Before we even think about raising taxes, common sense cuts to the Administration must be made. Keep in mind that those elected to the Board this year will vote on the next contract given to a Superintendent. "

Muldowney: "The residents of Cherry Hill have been gracious in the face of rising taxes to support our district’s growing financial burdens. We need to be vigilant that our tax dollars are spent benefiting the children of Cherry Hill. By introducing pay-to-play reforms, and making certain that all contracts go out to bid we can save an exorbitant amount of money. We also need to cut administrative costs, which have become an unbearable burden for the taxpayers. We could save taxpayers even more by cutting the high monthly interest rates for contracted services by promptly paying invoices. A combination of these financial strategies will free up funds to go back to our classrooms where they are needed to ensure that every child in Cherry Hill receives the quality education that they deserve. "

KM: "Stu, I have heard from many parents about the Aramark contract. They are concerned with the quality of food, the custodial issues and the draining effect it has had on the budget. I even saw where there was a petition drive started to rid our schools of Aramark. What are your views on the Aramark contract which is up for renewal this year?"

Chaifetz: "As parents who have attended Board meetings throughout this year, we have been appalled at the stories parents have brought forth regarding Aramark, including the recent revelation of just how poor and unhealthy their food choices have been for young children, and how unsatisfactory the cleaning has been in some schools. As parents of special needs children, our ire against Aramark is especially acute, for they have interfered with the ShopWest program. This program used to give disabled children experience in the workplace and prepared them for future employment - until Aramark came into town. I strongly oppose giving Aramark another contract."

KM: "Nancy, realizing that you have a child with special needs, if you are elected, how can we be sure that your interests will extend beyond special education concerns?"

Muldowney: "There is no denying that my attendance and interest in Board of Education meetings originated with an interest and concern for special education issues. However, many of my concerns have been more global. This year I brought forth serious concerns regarding impending changes to Policy 5131, Code of Conduct, to the board's attention and I met with the Administration to work towards a resolution. This policy impacts all students in Cherry Hill."

"During the budget process, I raised concerns that the dollar figure attached to out-of-district placements seemed exceptionally high. This was in fact a Special Education topic, but it impacts all taxpayers. From the preliminary budget to the final budget, this amount was reduced by a total of approximately $1.5 million. "

"If elected to the Board of Education, Stu and I will continue to advocate for all of Cherry Hill's children as we have been doing throughout the past year. We will be champions of fiscal responsibility. We will consider oversight to be the paramount responsibility of our positions on the board, in both fiscal and educational matters. "

KM: "Stu, Pay to Play Reform has been a huge issue in Cherry Hill and thanks to the efforts of the Cherry Hill Reform Committee the township council unanimously approved a Pay-to-Play ban last August. I understand that the school district continues to give out no-bid contracts that cost taxpayers a great deal of money. How do you plan to address this issue?"

Chaifetz: "My top priority as a member of the Board of Education will be to introduce strong pay-to-play reforms. With so many no bid contracts given out, I will demand that proper oversight over spending be executed, so that waste, fraud and abuse not be allowed to occur. As independents on the Board, without ties to PAC’s or large financial donors, Nancy and I will be free to fight for the only special interests that matter; parents and the children of our town."

KM: "Nancy, there has been talk about the possibility of corporate sponsorship for facilities. What are your thoughts on corporate sponsorship?"

Muldowney: "Dr. Campbell indicated during this year's budget discussions that the total cost of our facilities, including rehabilitating and creating anew, could potentially reach $250M over the next ten years. Anything the district can do to obtain funding from external sources to minimize the cost to the local taxpayers should be considered and evaluated. A concern that would need to be considered is that the message or products, of any corporate donation, must be appropriate for school-age children. "

KM: "Stu, why do you feel that you and Nancy are the best candidates to serve on our Board of Education?"

Chaifetz: "Be assured that there are no greater proponents of quality education than Nancy and myself. If you’ve been following the news, then you will have seen us rise again and again in defense of children in our schools. Ours is an indisputable, proven record of fighting for children. "

"Nancy and I have spent the last year attending Board of Education meetings as well as their committee meetings. We know the issues facing our school system more intimately, and more completely, than anyone else who has chosen to run in this election. We have solutions. We know what needs to be done."

"While I have great respect for our opponents, I am deeply pained that they have not attended Board meetings throughout this year, as we have, or have the first hand knowledge of the serious problems that parents face that comes from this. The reality is, if Nancy and I had not run for the Board this year, there would be no election on April 15th, but simply a coronation."


To learn more about Muldowney and Chaifetz, please see the Cherry Hill Unity website at: http://www.cherryhillunity.com/

Those Crazy Special Ed Parents!

I love the way our school administrators try to play us off! Since our children have special needs we are automatically assumed to be insane for trying to make the school district comply with special education laws. When my son was 3, before autism invaded our lives, I was viewed as a typical parent. I would assume that was because I was raising a "typical" child.

My son was a beautiful little boy that was always happy and silly. He loved to make people smile! I could take him to any restaurant and he was always the most well behaved child there. He had great manners and even ate his veggies! I was able to work from home so we spent a great deal of time together. Life was wonderful and I was a "typical mom" enjoying every minute of it!

Realizing that a good education was one of the most important things we could give a child, I enrolled my son in pre-school at the age of three. Although he seemed pretty bright, I wanted him to have that social piece in place by Kindergarten. He made friends and even enjoyed playdates with his little pre-school buddies. My son was off to a good start in life, and then suddenly -- boom -- all hell broke loose!

At the age of three and a half, my son began to develop sensory integration issues. He could no longer play in the sandbox and could not walk barefoot in the grass. His pre-school teacher noticed that he would hold his hands over his ears when the children sang together. If the fire alarm sounded, he quickly went under a desk and screamed uncontrollably. He stopped eating many of the fruits and veggies that he once loved. The texture of certain foods became intolerable. By four, I was dealing with a child that was losing skills on a regular basis. His social skills began to regress, he developed irrational fears and his behavior suddenly turned wretched!

My first thought was, I must be doing something wrong. I immediately consulted the parenting books, only to learn that I wasn't such a horrible parent and I had apparently been doing everything right. I spoke with our family doctor and consulted with a child therapist. Eventually, we took my son for a neurological consult. After five grueling hours with a neuro team, I heard the first mention of the word "autism" to describe my son.

The word didn't shock me, mainly because I thought the neuropsychologist that mentioned this word was off his rocker! Don't get me wrong, I liked this doctor. He seemed intelligent, was well respected in his field and certainly had an ability to connect with children; but if he thought my son had autism -- well, he was just wrong! (or so I thought.)

Yes, my son was losing skills, both social and communication. He was becoming obsessed with airplanes and had memorized the flight patterns over our home. He stopped "playing" with his toys and instead began lining them up in a particular order. He was displaying sensory dysfunction. He flaked out over the sound of a lawn mower, a blow dryer and even the vacuum cleaner. He was unable to eat the foods he once loved due to texture, temperature and taste issues. His bath suddenly had to be a certain temperature (I actually had to buy a tub thermometer!) He could not wear many of the clothes he had because the material bothered his skin or the tags were too annoying. OK, maybe he was becoming a picky child, but he was not an autistic child!

Yes, my son would sit for hours staring at the wall or twirling an object and yes, he was retreating into his own little world. Sometimes I would call his name 6 or 8 times without getting any response at all. He began focusing on odd things like doorstops and light switches. He repeated TV commercials verbatim and could have an entire conversation with you using only lines from movies. He may be a little odd, but still he was not an autistic child!

Yes, he suddenly could not grasp emotions. He did not seem to recognize or care about the feelings of others. Even his own feelings were unrecognizable to him. All negative feelings (sadness, disappointment, fear) were being displayed as anger. That anger would eventually erupt into a violent rage! His behavior had taken a sharp turn for the worse, but still he was not an autistic child!

I think when I heard the word "autism" I believed it meant some form of mental retardation. I knew my son was intelligent -- he had an extensive vocabulary and was already able to add and subtract whole numbers. He had hit every developmental milestone on time. He couldn't possibly have autism!

I went through his baby book and health records and saw no signs of developmental issues. I viewed video tapes of him playing, laughing and smiling. I began looking at pictures from the time he was a baby until he hit the fun toddler stage. Then I realized something -- his eyes were not the same. He had this blank or distant stare in the more recent photos. That spark was gone!

But "autism" -- no way! My son could not possibly have autism! It wasn't until I began researching autism, which was primarily to prove this doctor wrong -- that I realized my son had an autistic disorder. I began going down the list and realized that my son was displaying every feature of the disorder.

My son was not the same child he was before. Something inside of him had changed. But I was still the same parent. I was a very typical mom, dealing with an atypical child.

To all of you who think we are "crazy parents" -- it's funny how we weren't viewed as such when we were raising "normal" children. It's funny how as soon as our child required something more from the school district, like access to support services or maybe a little therapy -- we were suddenly "crazy parents."

It's funny how when our children did not receive the services that you were legally required to provide and we had to become stronger advocates for our kids, that we were now labeled as "red light parents." What's really sad is that when a child with a neurological disorder has a need that is not being met, it is usually displayed in their behavior. It is at that point that our children get labeled as "bad kids" and we are labeled as moms and dads with "poor parenting skills!"

I will no longer sit back and take this abuse from school administrators. If you want to believe I am crazy because I want my child to make some measurable progress -- so be it. If you want to believe I am crazy because I expect you to follow the law -- so be it. If you want to believe I am crazy because I have no problem speaking out about the way parents and children are made to suffer in this school district -- so be it.

In my opinion anyone that does not believe that I will stand up and fight back -- is crazy!
I am on my feet and the boxing gloves are well secured!

Important Info: Self-Assessment Monitoring Process

Cherry Hill Public Schools, Special Education Department is undergoing the Self-Assessment phase of the OSEP Monitoring Process. If you missed the public meeting on March 31, 2008, you may still participate by answering the Focus Questions below.

Focus Question #1:
Are parents involved in the education of their child with a disability?

Focus Question #2:
Are there any administrative barriers to providing services to students with disabilities?

Focus Question #3:
Are students, age 14 and older, being prepared to successfully transition to work, independent living, or additional education?

Focus Question #4:
Do students with disabilities have access to the general education curriculum in the least restrictive environment? Please include any programs or practices that promote or prevent students with disabilities participation in the general education curriculum.

Focus Question #5:
Open Forum Input (you may list any additional input that was not addressed in the above questions in this section)


Please Note: Your input is critical to the outcome of this Self-Assessment phase.

At the public meeting on March 31, 2008 a general invitation was extended to anyone that would like to be on the Steering Committee. This is contrary to what some parents were initially told by the Special Education Department. Professional Management Systems is the independent consultant that was hired to do the Self-Assessment and they have made it clear that the public is permitted to become part of the Steering Committee. I encourage anyone that is able to participate to do so.

The first meeting of the Steering Committee is set for April 17, 2008 from 4 to 6 PM at the Malberg Administration Building. If that time or date should change, it will be announced on my blog and on the Cherry Hill SEPTA website.

You may answer the Focus Questions above anonymously by either leaving a comment on this blog or by visiting the CHSEPTA website at chsepta.com. When responding as a blog comment please place the Focus Question # just before your answer.

Thank you for participating!

Thank You!

I have received so many thoughtful emails and other expressions of appreciation from readers of the Autism Blog, thanking me for my efforts, but I feel that it is my turn to thank all of you! It is YOUR continued support, participation in forums, comments on blogs and the many other ways that you have expressed your dedication to our children that will change the outcome for so many children in Cherry Hill and beyond!

From the frightened parents that could only leave anonymous comments on the Autism Blogs; to those that helped behind the scenes forwarding information -- you each deserve a very special thank you! I understand your need to remain anonymous, so I will not publish your names -- but you know who you are and I thank you for all that you have done!

To the many parents that helped reshape the Special Education PTA by getting out to vote for the new SEPTA Board last spring -- your efforts created the momentum that was needed in Cherry Hill. Many showed up with their children in tow, to exercise their right to vote. Together you sent a clear message to school administrators that the needs of our special education population were going to take center stage.

To the parents that volunteered to run for the CHSEPTA Board -- every one of you gave parents help and hope. From Sean McCormick, who was elected as CHSEPTA's President last spring, to Bob Bourbon who became the new President when Sean stepped down for personal reasons -- both of you led SEPTA to exciting new heights. Your leadership and devotion to special needs families has not gone unnoticed! Both Sean and Bob have helped me to realize that strength and diplomacy can move mountains. I thank you both for all that you have helped me with personally and I think every reader of this blog has been touched in some way by your commitment to our children!

To Naomi Weiss, who serves as CHSEPTA'a Vice President and has offered her support to many Cherry Hill families, you have been a source of strength and a role model for other parents. Outside of her role as CHSEPTA's Vice President, Naomi has also invested a great deal of her personal time and energy over the last two years to speak with state officials about our special education issues. I know Naomi is a very private person, who does not like being in the spotlight, but I am mentioning her name because I feel she deserves credit for all that she has done!

To Nancy Muldowney, who has served as CHSEPTA's Recording Secretary and has kept all of us in the loop on important issues impacting our children, I officially give you the title of St. Nancy, Angel of Children with Special Needs. Nancy has found time to be an active member of two School PTA's (Cooper and Barclay) while serving on the SEPTA Board, and raising two children, one of which has special needs. As if her commitment to our families was not great enough, she has attended nearly every Board of Education meeting and is now running for the Cherry Hill School Board!

To Deb Tremper who serves on the SEPTA Board as the Membership Coordinator. Deb has shared so much valuable insight with parents and is always willing to help families in our community. From late night emails to early morning phone calls, Deb has been there for parents throughout Cherry Hill.

To Kathleen Dallara-Pennell who somehow manages to attend more workshops, conferences, advocacy meetings and state hearings than any parent should have to endure -- thanks for representing Cherry Hill families at these important events. When Kathleen is not advocating for her own son, she devotes her time to helping families in Cherry Hill by researching information on critical issues. She has also made herself available to families in other districts and provided advocacy at their IEP meetings.

To Lisa Grams, the mother who boldly walked in to Russell Knight School and took pictures of a padded closet, also known as the "Quiet Room." Lisa knew she would face a great deal of scrutiny but still stood up for children in documenting a crime against them. Lisa paid quite a price for her efforts in protecting our children, as she and her son faced retaliatory actions as a result. She has guts and strength and I admire her commitment to our kids!

To Jill Kail, Cherry Hill's Ombudsman for the Disabled, who stood up and volunteered her expertise to any parent that needed to clarify the legalities in special education law. Jill has been there for just about every Cherry Hill family that I have spoken with and has always gone above and beyond to help those in need. It is a comfort to know that our township has such a dedicated person to assist families.

To Stuart Chaifetz, who is a single father raising a child with autism but still manages to attend Board of Education meetings so that he may advocate for all of our special needs children. Stu formed the Special Education Alliance last year to bring families of special needs children together. He has been there for some really difficult battles and continues to fight for every child in our school district. Stu has met with state leaders and even took the time to testify before the State House on important issues that impact our children. Stu is also running for the Board of Education this year so that he may assist ALL Cherry Hill families in obtaining the best education possible for their children. His commitment to our families goes far beyond special needs. He is an advocate for all taxpayers in Cherry Hill.

To Christy Carlson and Debbie Schmidt who formed the non-profit organization, Just 2 Moms. They are much more than just two moms! Together these two women, who are both raising children with autism, have taken autism awareness to a whole new level. Their Assembly program has enlightened children, educators and families about the challenges that our children face in school, at home and in the community. They have found some of the most creative ways to bring hope and help to our families dealing with autism. These are two amazing woman that I am proud to call my friends!

To every person that helped to raise the Red Flag on special education issues in Cherry Hill over the last two years -- it truly took a village to bring the Monitoring Process to our district and we need to keep this "village" united to realize a successful outcome!

To every parent that took part in the Self-Assessment/ Monitoring Process meeting at Cherry Hill High School West on March 31, 2008. Although I do not have all of the names, you are welcome to add them as a response to this blog! I was so proud to be part of a group that found a way to overcome some significant hurdles and focus on the needs of our children. From the parents that voiced their concerns and shared their individual complaints and the parents that voiced the more global concerns impacting families that were not able to participate, to the parents that had complimentary things to convey about special education -- it is our combined efforts that will bring about the changes necessary. I was so pleased to be part of a focus group, even one with conflicting opinions, that realized how important these issues are for our most vulnerable children. I look forward to serving on the Steering Committee with many of you!

I was especially touched by the young man and his proud mother, that stood up at the Self-Assessment meeting to express their gratitude for the special education services that he received in prior years. I literally had goosebumps as I listened to his kind words and expression of gratitude! Thank you for helping us all focus on the most important piece of this puzzle -- the outcome for our children. This young man is a reflection of what Special Education should be for ALL of our children. It seems that our former Special Education Director, Charlie Lange, should also be commended for working with this family to help this young man become a productive member of society.

I can only give initials for this note of appreciation, but I have to say thank you to RT for sending me the Bizarro (Superman) action figure! It has taken it's place of prominence on the shelf in my office! The Bizarro World was the focus of a previous blog which may be viewed by clicking here. Thanks RT for following my slightly twisted sense of humor, dashed with a note of sarcasm -- not everyone gets that!

If you know of someone that I have overlooked, please email me at kathimagee@verizon.net. I think it is important to recognize every person that has played a role in helping our children.