Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parent criticizes district over DC trip support and acceleration testing for twice-exceptional students
Summary
Parent Tina Harley told the board the district shifted a planned DC trip to a request-for-proposal process, asked parents to fundraise, and then withdrew support, leaving families without assistance for students with extended needs; she also urged changes to the district's acceleration process for twice-exceptional students and cited errors in district tests used for placement.
A District 97 parent told the board the district's handling of a proposed Washington, D.C., student trip and the district's acceleration policy for twice-exceptional students has left families confused and disadvantaged.
Tina Harley identified herself and said she first missed a fall survey about trip planning and that, months later, the district issued a request for proposals. She said parents who volunteered to fundraise expected a concrete destination and district support; instead, she said the district recently "dropped the support of this idea completely" and left parents to work without previously discussed funding or help for students with extended needs. "In 2023, that was $100,000," she said, asking the board to explain where those funds went and to respond in writing.
Harley also criticized the district's acceleration process for twice-exceptional (2e) students, arguing the district-created test is being applied as the sole decisive metric for double acceleration. She said her daughter demonstrated mastery on other rubric measures but failed the district test, which she argued contains errors and different expectations (for example, marking answers incorrect when students did not "simplify" when directions lacked that specific instruction). Harley urged the board to consider alternate pathways, such as a condensed summer course to demonstrate competency if a child meets other rubric measures.
Harley referenced Illinois SB 3533 and urged the district to examine the law's guidance and to move toward grading by learning objective and policies that account for neurodivergent students' literal interpretation of directions.
No board response that accounted for the requested accounting for prior funding appears in the transcript; the comment was recorded during public comment and the board acknowledged her remarks.
