Testimony: Special Education Roundtable
Children’s Law Center Policy Attorney Danielle Robinette testified before the DC Council’s Committee of the Whole on challenges DC students with disabilities are experiencing, particularly staffing shortages and informal suspension. Our attorneys work with many students with disabilities to ensure they receive the services and supports they need, but unfortunately many DC schools are facing staffing shortages that result in loss of services for these students. Additionally, our attorneys report a rise in informal suspensions, where students are being sent home or asked to stay home from school without it explicitly being labeled a suspension. We are concerned this trend particularly impacts students with disabilities, and that this practice may reflect a failure to conduct the manifestation review required by local and federal law.