New York’s Staten Island. Parents and politicians from both parties gathered in front of St. Joseph Hill Academy to demand that special education services that have been stopped in non-public schools be restored.
For children attending non-public schools, such as Catholic, private, or home-school settings, parents are required by state law to submit a letter of intent by June 1 for special education assistance, known as the Individualized Education assistance Program (IESP). It guarantees that students receive medical accommodations, occupational, speech, or physical therapy, as well as other academic concessions like extra time for tests.
The Staten Island Advance/SILive.com reported that many Staten Island parents stated that the city had not enforced the deadline until this year. Others said that the city or another source had not informed them of a deadline.
Among the parents whose children have been affected by the resource confiscation are Kerry Gallo and Marissa Jones, who were not informed of the letter of intent.
On October 24, 2024, Kerry Gallo speaks during a press conference held outside St. Joseph Hill Academy. (Jillian Delaney/Staten Island Advance)Jillian Delaney/Staten Island Advance
Sienna Sheen, a fifth-grader at St. Joseph Hill Academy and Jones’ daughter, has a specifically designed FM unit that is funded by the Department of Education and the state. For years, Sheen has been using the same gadget, which links to her cochlear implant, even throughout the warmer months.
When she returned to school this autumn, Jones neglected to turn in the letter of intent, therefore Sheen’s FM unit was confiscated and never returned.
During the press conference, Jones stated, “The Department of Education is now refusing my daughter services because I failed to provide an information sheet that contains my name, address, phone number, and email address—all the information that I had to provide in order to request services in the first place.” My daughter won’t be able to hear the teacher in the classroom without this. In essence, her right to an education has been denied. She is expected to receive additional assistance.
On her first day of fifth grade, Marissa Jones’ daughter, Sienna Sheen, beams. (via Valeria DiBisceglie’s permission)With thanks to Valeria DiBisceglie
According to Jones, Sheen maintained averages in the 80s after being placed in a mainstream class with the FM unit last year. However, Sheen is now failing two subjects this year—math and science—after being made to read lips without the unit.
Jones was also informed that Sheen may get her equipment back by tomorrow if her daughter moved to a public school.
Advance/SILive.com was informed by DOE that it is monitoring requests from families who failed to submit their requests by the June 1 deadline. After serving all families who filed by the deadline, the organization stated that it will begin working to provide resources.
According to DOE spokesperson Nathaniel Styer, “we’ve seen an exponential increase in filing for special education services over the past ten years by families attending private or parochial schools and not seeking a public school education.” The June 1st deadline is a long-standing requirement outlined in state laws and regulations. It is one of several constraints NYCPS [New York City Public Schools] must adhere to in order to help guarantee that public funds are being used to support students who actually need services. We will always engage families, even those who missed the deadline, and work to serve them as quickly and effectively as possible, even though we are legally obligated to prioritize serving families who make requests by the deadline.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, District Attorney Michael McMahon, and Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D North Shore) representatives, along with Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (R Staten Island/South Brooklyn), Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D North Shore/South Brooklyn), Assemblyman Michael Tannousis (R East Shore/South Brooklyn), Assemblyman Michael Reilly (R South Shore), Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo (R Mid-Island), Councilman Joseph Borelli (R South Shore), and Councilman David Carr (R Mid-Island) gathered outside the Arrochar school to voice their outrage and call on the city to take action.
On October 24, 2024, parents and elected leaders attend a press conference urging the state and city to restore special education services to children attending nonpublic schools outside of St. Joseph Hill Academy. (Jillian Delaney/Staten Island Advance)Jillian Delaney/Staten Island Advance
You would probably consider it bullying if I told you about a fifth-grade deaf student who was in class when someone took away her listening device. Malliotakis remarked, “You would think that another student is bullying her.” However, in this case, not only is the student being bullied by our own government, the city of New York, but thousands of students with disabilities who attend nonpublic schools in our city.
The news conference’s host, Malliotakis, has addressed a letter to the US DOE urging it to work with Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres (D) in a bipartisan attempt to address the issue.
In order to avoid having to provide for the children for the rest of their life, doesn’t it make more sense to assist them now? The DOE is causing mental health problems. As a result of their inability to thrive in a school, they are producing children that lack confidence and have behavioral problems. They’re not succeeding. Since they are still only kids, they don’t comprehend why the resources that helped them thrive last year aren’t helping them this year. How does our society benefit from that? Jones pleaded.
Outside of St. Joseph Hill Academy on October 24, 2024, state senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton speaks directly to Marissa Jones, a mother whose kid has been affected by denied special education assistance. (Jillian Delaney/Staten Island Advance)Jillian Delaney/Staten Island Advance
It’s awful to treat kids like this. It is incorrect, and Scarcella-Spanton promised that she would stop at nothing to restore these programs for our nonpublic school pupils.
Borelli sincerely thought that this issue, which had been going on for about two months, would have been resolved swiftly.
The Department of Education is one organization that is prepared to break federal law. According to Borelli, they are prepared to violate the state constitution’s guarantees of rights in order to uphold a pointless bureaucratic and technocratic regulation that was so unimportant that they didn’t give it a second thought during the three or four years of COVID.
On October 24, 2024, Councilman Joseph Borelli addresses a press conference outside St. Joseph Hill Academy. (Jillian Delaney/Staten Island Advance)Jillian Delaney/Staten Island Advance
It appears that there is a lack of consideration and respect for the decisions parents have made to send their children to nonpublic schools, as we are now holding up all of these children’s educations and burdening families over a small piece of paper, Carr added.
Reilly speculated that the abrupt loss of services might be explained by a conspiracy hypothesis. In addition, he suggested that Governor Kathy Hochul issue an executive order if Mayor Eric Adams did not take action by [proclamating] a state of emergency in New York City.
On October 24, 2024, Assemblyman Michael Reilly addresses a press conference outside St. Joseph Hill Academy. (Jillian Delaney/Staten Island Advance)Jillian Delaney/Staten Island Advance
I can tell you this even though I’m not normally a conspiracy theorist. It was a devilish thing. Diabolical. They had a strategy. “They prioritized money over our children,” Reilly claimed. Staten Island, New York City, has never needed a hero more than now, Mister Mayor. You must have a cape somewhere. It s time to strap it on and become the hero that we all need, [and] the children of New York City need, to get their services back.
Jones plans to pursue legal action against the state to get her daughter s services back.
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