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Parent alleges Lacey Township withheld services for autistic son, urges board to act
Summary
Ashley Meyer, a parent of a profoundly autistic student at Cedar Creek Elementary School, told the Lacey Township Board of Education that her son has been denied education services for about eight weeks and that the district has not responded to her repeated complaints of retaliation.
Ashley Meyer, a parent of a profoundly autistic student at Cedar Creek Elementary School, told the Lacey Township Board of Education on July that her son with an Individualized Education Program has not received education services for 56–57 days and she has received no response from district officials despite repeated emails and complaints.
"I am his voice. By everyone on stage ignoring me, you are ignoring him," Meyer said, and told the board she had reported alleged retaliation by the district's Director of Special Education, Joseph Bond. She said she sent at least 16 emails to Mr. Zielinski since May 28 and that the district had withheld home instruction, summer program access and therapies specified in the student's IEP.
The board did not open an investigation at the meeting. A board member responded that the district cannot discuss student matters in public and encouraged Meyer to continue meeting with the Director of Student Services, saying he had reached out to her multiple times. The board member said the district had provided her a direct contact and reiterated that personnel and student matters could not be addressed publicly.
Later in public comment, Richard Bidnick of Lacey Citizens for Responsible Government expressed support for Meyer and criticized the school administration and board majority for what he described as poor management, high legal bills and recent tax increases. "We have an administration problem. We have a board problem," Bidnick said, adding he had repeatedly heard similar complaints from parents and taxpayers.
Meyer said she had asked the board how to file an ethics complaint and that she was not given the information she seeks. She told the board she had confirmed by phone with the New Jersey Department of Education that services cannot be withheld; she said she had also contacted special-needs advocates who were "shocked" by the situation. Board members reiterated that they could not address the details in public session and encouraged direct meetings with district staff.
The public-comment segment was followed by routine committee and consent-agenda business. No formal board action on Meyer’s allegations was recorded on the agenda that night.
The record of the meeting shows the board opened in executive session to discuss confidential student and personnel matters before returning to public comment, after which the board proceeded with committee reports and a series of roll-call approvals.
