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Parent alleges improper handling and reinstatement of Section 504 hearings; superintendent declines comment due to litigation
Summary
A parent, Heather Naldoni, told the board she believes a Section 504 hearing she filed was improperly dismissed and later reinstated without her consent, and she questioned whether the board approved hiring an outside investigator; Superintendent Dr. Yanni said the district would not comment on ongoing litigation.
At the public comment portion of the meeting, Heather Naldoni said she filed a Section 504 hearing request on Aug. 1 that was dismissed on Aug. 9 by Lynette Abruzzo, which she called the result of a "discriminatory 30 day limitation" and a procedural manipulation to discourage parents from filing hearings. She said the previously dismissed hearing was reinstated by the district on Nov. 12 without her consent and that, because of the lapse in time and intervening 504 meetings, the reinstated hearing is "null and void."
Naldoni also said she had been contacted by Elena Kakavas of Kakavas ADR LLC and asked the board when Kakavas was approved; she said she could not find a board vote approving the hire in the minutes. When Naldoni raised these points, Superintendent Dr. Yanni said the district is "actively involved in litigation regarding all the 5 0 4 request[s] that you have" and stated, "we're not making any public comment on current litigation." The superintendent further said the district would not discuss confidential information in public.
