Winkelman family - a response to my email Parma School Board

[Guest guest]

Before I copy the email response I must say this shows you how far a

School Board will go to oppose one, yes one family, trying their

very best to provide a school setting in which their child can

progress educationally. I am not worried about how this post will

be received. I just believe that the Winkelman family is doing the

utmost for their child and that by opposing this family with

litigation for five years is reckless and without grounds. Any

family in Texas with a special need family could face this situation

and many do ... they leave the public schools and home-school or pay

out of their pocket. My heart is with the Winkelman family. So

here goes, and you can be the judge:

Thank you for your email, as an Uncle of a child suffering with

Autism I understand your concerns and work as a Board of Education

member to ensure students with special needs receive them. In our

district, one of Ohio's largest we have the ability to serve many

ranges of students needs. Some students needs exceed what we can

provide and we send those students to other facilities and pay for

those services. I can not address other students and their needs

directly I can state that our district has prevailed for the last 5

years. This student has not even been given an opportunity to be

taught in our schools. We have many students that are very

successful with special needs. I respect the Winklemans decision to

provide their child the best services possible, the larger question

and legal question is can our school district provide an adequate

education as the law requires? I believe the answer is we can and

do. Should a family think their child can get a better level of

education at a private school whether special education or regular

education that is a family preference/decision and the family should

pay for it. That is the real issue we are dealing with. Please

contact me if you have further questions or comment.

J. Kelley

Parma Board of Education Member

5291 Huntington Reserve Drive

Parma, Ohio 44134

cell

kelleyk@...

My email sent directly to Mr. Kelley:

kelleyk<at>parmacityschools.org

Mr. J. Kelley,

I am writing in support of the Winkelman family in their efforts to

support their son in the treatment for Autism. My dear son is in

the Autism spectrum, Asperger and we live in Carrollton, Texas. We

understand how difficult it is to receive benefits in providing

intervention and treatment for Autism.

Only recently have many state made legislative efforts and passed

laws to help Autism families and provide intervention treatment for

their loved ones. Your state is considered to be among the top

five in addressing autism needs for families. I ask that your

School Board support the Winkelman family and stop the litigation

against this family. The best solution is to support Autism

families and provide immediate intervention.

Families in Texas admire your Autism Scholarship program and we hope

to hear more good news for families dealing with Autism in Ohio.

Thank you for your understanding and support for families dealing

with Autism.

Mark Colditz

Carrollton, TX

Dear Son in the Autism spectrum

[Guest guest]

Having heard their story firsthand from Sandee Winkelman herself, this

response seems full of inaccuracies. I believe her son involved in

this case was regressing terribly in PPCD and left the family with no

choice but to go outside the system. The district initially agreed

with the family to fund his private placement after Sandee witnessed

firsthand her son's mistreatment at the hands of untrained teachers.

Her previously compliant child was literally being dragged from

activity to activity and suffering the effects of this abuse in a

major way. Without rationale or warning, The district suddenly

insisted at kindergarten they would stop funding his private placement

and return him to their public school setting. He had been doing

exceptionally well in his private placement, and they were given no

transition plan or assurances that the same problems that plagued them

before would be remedied.

There is " adequate education " and then there is subjecting children to

harmful effects with the potential for irreparable damage. It always

amazes me when our schools refuse to acknowledge that distinction.

What amazes me even more is how they twist the facts and sometimes

outright lie ( " This student had never even been given the opportunity

to be taught in our schools " and " The district has prevailed for the

last five years " ) This case had not even been heard on its substantive

complaints until now. Everything preceding this was the stall and

divert tactic employed by the district to contest the ability of the

Winkelman's, bankrupted by the private education, to defend themselves

on this issue without an attorney. They won that case in the Supreme

Court just last year. This is the first time the denial of FAPE claim

has even been ruled upon, and they prevailed.

Another key point to make is that the very successful Ohio Scholarship

Program was not in effect in 2003 when the Winkelman's filed for due

process. Since then, it is quite possible with the program in full

swing that the Ohio public schools are doing a better job meeting the

needs of students with special needs. But to imply that this is merely

parental preference for a " better level of education " when they were

standing by watching their child's potential go down the drain, and

forcing them to go bankrupt to fund his private tuition and defend his

rights (and all our other children with disabilities) under IDEA,

doesn't seem like a " choice " many parents would relish. It seems like

a parental duty with some very high stake consequences.

And, yes, I will be forwarding this to Mr. Kelley. Thanks, Mark, for

exposing the spin machine in progress.

>

> Before I copy the email response I must say this shows you how far a

> School Board will go to oppose one, yes one family, trying their

> very best to provide a school setting in which their child can

> progress educationally. I am not worried about how this post will

> be received. I just believe that the Winkelman family is doing the

> utmost for their child and that by opposing this family with

> litigation for five years is reckless and without grounds. Any

> family in Texas with a special need family could face this situation

> and many do ... they leave the public schools and home-school or pay

> out of their pocket. My heart is with the Winkelman family. So

> here goes, and you can be the judge:

>

>

> Thank you for your email, as an Uncle of a child suffering with

> Autism I understand your concerns and work as a Board of Education

> member to ensure students with special needs receive them. In our

> district, one of Ohio's largest we have the ability to serve many

> ranges of students needs. Some students needs exceed what we can

> provide and we send those students to other facilities and pay for

> those services. I can not address other students and their needs

> directly I can state that our district has prevailed for the last 5

> years. This student has not even been given an opportunity to be

> taught in our schools. We have many students that are very

> successful with special needs. I respect the Winklemans decision to

> provide their child the best services possible, the larger question

> and legal question is can our school district provide an adequate

> education as the law requires? I believe the answer is we can and

> do. Should a family think their child can get a better level of

> education at a private school whether special education or regular

> education that is a family preference/decision and the family should

> pay for it. That is the real issue we are dealing with. Please

> contact me if you have further questions or comment.

>

> J. Kelley

> Parma Board of Education Member

> 5291 Huntington Reserve Drive

> Parma, Ohio 44134

> cell

> kelleyk@

>

>

> My email sent directly to Mr. Kelley:

> kelleyk<at>parmacityschools.org

>

>

> Mr. J. Kelley,

>

> I am writing in support of the Winkelman family in their efforts to

> support their son in the treatment for Autism. My dear son is in

> the Autism spectrum, Asperger and we live in Carrollton, Texas. We

> understand how difficult it is to receive benefits in providing

> intervention and treatment for Autism.

>

> Only recently have many state made legislative efforts and passed

> laws to help Autism families and provide intervention treatment for

> their loved ones. Your state is considered to be among the top

> five in addressing autism needs for families. I ask that your

> School Board support the Winkelman family and stop the litigation

> against this family. The best solution is to support Autism

> families and provide immediate intervention.

>

> Families in Texas admire your Autism Scholarship program and we hope

> to hear more good news for families dealing with Autism in Ohio.

> Thank you for your understanding and support for families dealing

> with Autism.

>

> Mark Colditz

> Carrollton, TX

> Dear Son in the Autism spectrum

>