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MSD reaches accord with parents The Massapequa School District has offered a comparative autisim-specific program at the East Lake Elementary School, avoiding a formal legal challenge from parents who had objected to the replacement of the Genesis program with a non comparable BOCES program. Under the agreement, the district will adopt Ascent, a highly regarded special education school for autistic children, and avoid the legal impartial arbitration process the parents had demanded. Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Lawrence Pereira, said the district contracted this year with Ascent to run a program in two classrooms at East Lake. Eagle I and II replace the district’s former Genesis program which was eliminated over the summer. The district had maintained that the BOCES program it initially considered offered a broader range of special educational needs to more students. Stephanie Carpenter, president of the Special Education Parent/Teacher Organization (SEPTA) said Ascent’s Eagle Program at Massapequa is exceptional, and that she fought to bring it to Massapequa. She said she agreed with other parents that the BOCES program wasn’t comparable to the Genesis program. Carpenter is raising an autistic grandson who attends the district, although not in the Eagle Program. She said the district initially handled the replacement of Genesis poorly, making the decision without parental input, and only after the budget had been passed. "But Ascent is 100 times better than BOCES and the district has made amends more than 100 times over," she said. "Ascent was not a consideration at first because they only came on board late in the game," said Pereira. "But we wanted to meet the needs of our students with autism, and balance that with the parents’ perception and the needs of the district as a whole. Ascent is an outstanding program and we’re pleased to have them." In an attempt to overcome a bumpy start, parents were recently welcomed into the Eagle classrooms for a week-long observation period during which they could connect with teachers. "It is a new program, so we might meet some bumps along the way," acknowledged Pereira. "Parents were given the opportunity to view the classrooms, observe the educational program, and interact with the staff." Karen Loiacano and Jean Ayan, both parents of autistic children who attended Genesis were angry when it was terminated. Although they acknowledge they won one battle by getting an autism-specific program in its place, neither is completely satisfied with the Eagle Program—yet. Loiacano said the program and the staff are too rigid, and doesn’t seem open to parent involvement. Ayan agreed with Loiacano’s assessment. She has a 9-year-old autistic daughter in the program and is also the wife of Al Ayan who ran for the school board in May. "I can’t help them help my daughter if they won’t talk to me," she said. "This feels like a battle instead of a team effort. The district has asked us to give this time, but parents of autistic children don’t have the luxury of time." "I don’t know enough about the program to make a determination yet," Loiacano said. "I am just giving my best effort to make it work." Loiacano moved from Elmont to Massapequa in March, 2004 specifically because she wanted her 7-year-old son to attend the Genesis program. He attended five months before it was terminated. "I looked all over Long Island and in Queens to find a suitable program for my son," she said. "Through my own due diligence, I felt I had found the program that suited him here in Massapequa." Ten of the students in Genesis are enrolled in the new program. Carpenter said she would suggest that parents who are still dissatisfied with the change seek other programs for their autistic children. "Ascent is wonderful for these students, and it is here to stay. We need to move forward now," said Carpenter, adding that parents could choose to work with the district to send their children to some other program, "because an unhappy family can hurt the whole program." Adding to the difficulty of the transition is the fact that the director of the Department of Special Education, Connie Russo, retired this year. Pereira said the department is currently well-staffed and under the guidance of Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Robert Aloise, and four assistants. Ayan and Loiacano said the district should hire a candidate who is well-versed in autism, since the district runs an autism program. Carpenter agreed. She said SEPTA already argued against one prospective candidate proposed over a month ago. "This is not an easy decision because we are a very big district with a very large special education population," she said. "What we really want is someone who is well-versed in all areas of special educational needs, not just one specialty. " FACTS ON SPECIAL EDUCATION LAWS: Special education laws, regulations, and policies are intended to promote equity and opportunity for all students with disabilities so that they can meet the educational standards established for all students while in the least restrictive environment, according to the NYS Department of Education. According to state education laws, special education students will each have Individualized Educational Plans (IEP) that are based on their evaluations and are created to meet their unique needs and disabilities. Districts are required to provide the services set forth in the students’ IEP, and could include, but are not limited to, speech, occupational therapy, psychology, or even an individual aid to assist the student in classes. The services are funded by the state and provided by every district at no cost to parents. The law further states that districts must ensure the services are provided in the least restrictive environment, as close as possible to home, and preferably in the school the student would have attended if not disabled.
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