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Resident urges Merrillville to press schools on special-education access; council offers follow-up
Summary
A resident told the council Feb. 11 that her school-age child has been excluded from classroom placement and has pending federal and state complaints; council members offered to speak with her after the meeting for additional details.
At the Town of Merrillville’s Feb. 11 meeting, a resident identified as Jennifer (address provided to the record) used the public-comment period to say her seven-year-old child, who uses a wheelchair, has been unable to attend school this year and that she has filed complaints with federal and state education agencies.
Jennifer said school officials had offered limited transportation and that she felt the school district was not providing services her child needs. She said she had filed an OCR (U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights) complaint, an IDR and a DOE complaint and asked when the town would “hold the schools accountable.”
Brian Messarch spoke after Jennifer in support, saying he has observed failures to respect ADA rights in some cases and urging the council to follow up. The council president and staff offered to remain after the meeting to obtain more details from Jennifer and to see what municipal actions, if any, are appropriate.
No municipal action was taken during the meeting; the remarks were submitted as public comment and council members requested a private follow-up with the speaker to gather facts.
