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Parent asks Secaucus board to allow external assistive‑technology evaluation for legally blind student
Summary
A Secaucus parent requested board approval to allow an external group to administer an assistive‑technology evaluation for her legally blind tenth‑grade daughter, describing current device limitations and recent accommodations provided by the Commission for the Blind.
Molly Maher, who identified herself as the parent of a tenth‑grader at Secaucus High School, asked the board to approve an external evaluation to determine the assistive technology best suited to her daughter’s oculocutaneous albinism and legal blindness. Maher said the district had provided a Chromebook and the family provided two iPads, but a math test lacked an on‑screen calculator and the student still could not read the board from any seat in the classroom.
Maher said the Commission for the Blind recently issued a CCTV device for her daughter to use in science class but noted the device weighs 5–7 pounds and would be burdensome to carry along with other equipment between classes. She asked for permission to allow ‘‘an external group advancing opportunities to administer assistive technology evaluation’’ so specialists could recommend and configure a device that would give her daughter equitable access.
Board counsel confirmed the board would accept the written document Maher had supplied for staff review and said someone would follow up. There was no vote or formal board action on the request during the meeting; the board invited Maher to leave materials for administrative review and to remain until the meeting ended so staff could speak with her afterward.
