THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, June 26, 2020 Page 3 District plans audit of special education By Barbara Taormina T he School Committee unanimously supported Ward 7 committee member Michelle Luong’s call for an audit of services for all special education students in 2019 through 2020. “My concern has been, although we have tried to deliver services the best we could under the current circumstances, we have some special education students who have not received services,” said Luong adding there have been some inconsistencies across the district. Luong said she had spoken with families with special needs students who have requested services but have not been contacted by the district. “I would like this audit to prevent us from having children falling deeply through the cracks,” said Luong. “I think we need to start this summer and do a complete audit of special education services per student and see what services they did receive and what services they did not.” Fellow school committee member Adam Weldai said Luong had been communicating with families with special education students throughout the district. “She’s been helping folks in all wards, not just Ward 7,” said Weldai. “I’m thankful that she took his on.” vicesand to look at where we can do better for students who are being educated,” added Spadafora. Luong praised the district’s special education teachers who she said go above and beyond for their students. She said the problem seems to be communication with the administration. She added she was particularly worried about parents and guardians who did not know how to go about accessing services for their children. Luong said she was hopMichelle Luong School Committee Member Ward 3 committee member Jen Spadafora said the audit would give school leaders a chance to look at everything within the district’s special education program, including costly outof-district placements. “I think we need to look at what we are providing,” said Spadafora. “The last thing we want is for families who are upset with the services, or lack thereof, and want to push for out-of-district placements that are going to cost a lot of money.” But Spadafora said even more important than the money is having students educated in the city where they live with their peers. “I think it’s important that we look at this audit to make sure we are providing sering for a report on special education services at the committee’s fi rst meeting in the fall. She said the report would need to be detailed and include input from families. “We need to poll parents and see exactly what services their child received,” she said adding that she wanted to prevent a 30 percent response from families. Luong said a full audit will give the committee a clear picture of special education services. “From there, we can say what the plan is to fi x it, because we are clearly going to see some defi cits,” she said adding that she hopes the problem is limited to a handful of cases. Superintendent John Oteri said an audit could be done over the summer and that he would update Luong on results. 505 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 Tel: 617-387-1120 www.gkdental.com • Family Dentistry • Crowns • Bridges • Veneers/Lumineers • Dental Implants • All on 4 Dental Implants • Emergency Dentist • Kid Friendly Dentist • Root Canals • Dentures • Invisalign Braces • Snap On Smile • Teeth Whitening We are the smile care experts for your entire family AUTOTECH 1989 SINCE Is your vehicle ready for the Summer Season?!! Recharge your vehicle's AC for the warm weather! Includes up to 1 LB. of Refrigerant* (*Most Vehicles/Some Restrictions May Apply) AC SPECIAL Only $69.95 DRIVE IT - PUSH IT - TOW IT! CASH FOR YOUR CAR, TRUCK OR SUV! 2012 FORD FUSION SEL 2015 NISSAN ALTIMA 6 Cylinder, Auto., 1 Previous Owner, Most Pwr., Options incl. Keyless Entry, & Pwr. Sunroof. Only 110K Miles! ALL TRADES WELCOME! $5,995 Easy Financing Available! Only 104K Miles, One Owner, Most Power Options, in Excellent Condition. QUALITY & PRICE $7,250 781-321-8841 1236 EasternAve • Malden EddiesAutotech.com We Pay Cash For Your Vehicle! In House Dental Plan for $399 (Cleanings, X-Rays, Exams twice a year and 20% OFF Dental work) Schedule your FREE Consultations today
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