Raising our voices for special education

Every child should have access to the support services they need to be able to learn to their full potential. The Individualized Education Program (IEP) - when developed with consideration of the child's true needs - dictates precisely what a child requires to thrive. Our special education teachers, paraprofessionals and related service providers do incredible work supporting these children. But the city Department of Education too often has not fulfilled its part.

How special education services are managed and delivered to students is complicated in a school system as large and diverse as New York City's. Far too often principals say, "We don't have the budget" as an excuse for not providing students with the services to which they are entitled. But it's usually the fault of poor management of resources and faulty programming. Principals put pressure on our members to create cookie-cutter student IEPs that fit the school's predetermined programs and services. But such "templated IEPs" are not acceptable because each child's needs are unique.

Educators and parents have long had the UFT special education complaint form as a tool to flag special education issues at the school level. There was a 21% increase in the number of special ed complaints filed in the 2023-24 school year compared with the previous one. For each complaint about a student not receiving IEP-mandated services, the resolution often results in a host of other students receiving their mandated services as well. I applaud all the parent and educator advocates who file special education complaints on behalf of children.

As part of the union's contract negotiations with the city in 2023, the special education subcommittee of the UFT Negotiating Committee took a firm stand on the critical and longstanding issue of the DOE's failure to prioritize special education and meet compliance requirements for our students. The union was able to negotiate important new provisions in the DOE-UFT contract to combat these issues, which are growing more serious each year.

Every school is now required to conduct a special education training session, designed by the UFT and the DOE, on or before Election Day. All staff members receive the same information about special education rules and regulations, leaving no room for myths or misinformation. The training is presented by both the chapter leader and the principal, which ensures that principals are held accountable and reinforces the shared responsibility of upholding special education standards.

Another key component of the 2023 contract was the establishment of a special education committee in every school to tackle schoolwide compliance issues. The committee, whose members are appointed by the chapter leader, meets with the principal at least once in the fall and once in the spring. Any unresolved issues can be escalated to the UFT district representative and the superintendent.

The special education complaint process, the mandatory annual training and the new school-based special education committees work in tandem to ensure our students get the services and support they need.

The union - and my division - are committed to fighting for the learning and teaching conditions that our students and our members deserve.