Though her son had been receiving speech and occupational therapy, Smith Olsey said his Denver charter school resisted her requests for additional academic support. I will be in touch as I am able. As Trump began to reshape the Education Department , investigations and mediations around disability rights issues came to a standstill. Historically, most complaints to the department have involved disability discrimination — parents saying their disabled child is not receiving accommodations they need to learn, which schools must provide under federal law.
An Education Department spokesperson said the Office for Civil Rights ended the pause on its review of disability complaints Thursday, after The Associated Press asked for comment on the findings of reporting for this story. The Trump administration lifted its pause on disability cases sooner than the Biden administration did in its first months in office, spokesperson Julie Hartman said.
Since preschool, he has had an individualized education program for a developmental delay. This month, the school agreed her son needs extra academic help, but she is seeking compensatory services to make up for time he went without adequate support. She also is seeking reimbursement for money she spent out of pocket on therapy, tutoring and testing. When families believe their child is not receiving adequate services for their disability, filing a complaint with the Education Department is one way of prompting districts to provide additional help.
Parents may also file a complaint with state agencies or pursue litigation. The office is required to process all complaints it fields, but politics can play a role in setting priorities and choosing which cases to pursue. Typically, more than half of the complaints to the department have involved disability discrimination , but last year accusations of sex discrimination surged to account for a majority of them, according to an annual report.
In recent years, the office has seen a significant decline in its staffing, even as the number of cases it must look into has increased. She suggested the Department of Health and Human Services could take over that work. Maggie Hassan, D-N. She had filed a complaint with the department after a series of suspensions that she said stemmed from her son being overwhelmed and not getting enough academic help. The year-old has an intellectual disability, autism and epilepsy. If the school district broke the mediation agreement, she was told to contact the Office for Civil Rights again.
