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Parents and students press Buffalo board on special‑education placements, immunizations and school food
Summary
Multiple parents and students used the Sept. 18 board meeting to press the Buffalo City School District on special‑education placement concerns and immunization compliance, and to praise improvements in school meals. Speakers asked for faster, better‑fitting placements for children with disabilities, a stakeholder committee on immunization impacts and greater emphasis on student voice in discipline.
Parents and students at the Buffalo City School District board meeting on Sept. 18 urged faster action on special‑education placements, raised concerns about potential near‑term student exclusions for immunization noncompliance, and highlighted improvements in school food.
Parent Carrie Webster told the board her son Aiden, who recently rejoined the district, is in a program she described as "not a good fit" and said he is regressing. "Everyone has a right to an education that fits their needs," Webster said, and she asked the board to "find the correct placement for my son sooner than later." The superintendent and staff told Webster they had already met with school leaders and would follow up; the superintendent said she would meet with Chief Botticelli before the end of the week to discuss supports and report back.
Several speakers framed student wellbeing broadly. Student Rehema (Rahima) Kashindi praised recent improvements in food service—"the food has been real good"—and urged reexamination of suspension practices, saying different principals apply discipline at different rates and that long suspensions harm both students and teachers who must catch those students up.
Parent and community health leaders urged structured family and community engagement. Jessica Bauer Walker, incoming parent co‑chair of the Community Health Worker Parent Association, commended the board and superintendent for holding a public meeting on the central food commissary and urged a community benefits agreement to require local and MWBE participation, workforce goals and oversight.
Ed Spadell, speaking on special education, said the district faces a placement problem affecting multiple students and called for a stakeholder committee beginning in January to address systemic placement issues. Spadell also claimed "there'll be a thousand or more students not allowed to go to school tomorrow because of vaccination." The superintendent responded she would receive weekly exclusion numbers and that she was "optimistic that it won't be a thousand," promising to share updates with the board.
Board response and next steps
Board members thanked speakers for coming and said staff were already engaged with parents on specific cases. The superintendent asked staff to continue working with families and to provide weekly immunization data to the board. Members encouraged the new student representative and suggested student council involvement in code of conduct and cell‑phone policy discussions going forward.
Context and significance
The public comments touched two recurring district issues: ensuring appropriate special‑education placements for students with disabilities and operationalizing public health requirements for school attendance. Both have immediate implications for student access and for district operations. The board committed to follow‑up discussions with parents and staff and to weekly reporting on immunization numbers.
