From the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

Charter schools in New Orleans educate about 60 percent of the city’s public school children — a higher percentage than in any major American city. But they serve a much smaller percentage of children with disabilities than traditional schools. The gap raises questions about how charters can assure equal access to students who have been historically underserved and excluded.

According to state data, New Orleans’ charters serve only 38 percent of students with autism, 37 percent of those with an emotional disturbance, and about 23 percent of students with multiple disabilities. Parents of kids with disabilities describe heartbreaking school searches, rejection and isolation for their children.

… sometimes, new charter leaders may be hesitant to take on the most challenging — and costly — students from day one.

“I talked to (a charter operator) who said, ‘We want to take these kids, but we’re just not ready yet,’” said Margaret Lang, director of intervention services for the Recovery School District. “My comment to him was that nobody is ready. These children are born into families who are not ready. The number of qualified staff is minimal. No one has quote, unquote, enough experience. But the kids are here.”

In a recent analysis of charter schools around the country, Harvard professor Thomas Hehir said there is significant underrepresentation of students with disabilities in charters in San Diego, Los Angeles and Massachusetts.  Hehir, who served as director of the U.S. Department of Education’s office of special education programs in the Clinton administration, said officials should develop policies to assure that charters are not discriminating against students with disabilities.

From the New York Daily News:

A space crunch fueled by the creation of charter schools in New York City is disproportionately squeezing students with disabilities, say parents and advocates. They say less space means that kids with disabilities may have less one-on-one instruction time, therapy sessions in the back of classrooms, and cramped conditions for students who use wheelchairs.

At eight of the 15 buildings making room for new or expanding schools next year, at least a quarter of students receive special education services.

School officials say each of the district’s charter proposals “leaves special education students with ample space.”

Audit finds wide enrollment disparities, particularly in charter schools

From the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

Many public schools in New Orleans, particularly charter schools, show significant underrepresentation of students with disabilities, according to a report by state officials. At some charter schools in the Recovery School District, fewer than 4 percent of students are reported to have disabilities, as compared with a district-wide average of about ten percent.

The report has prompted criticism from advocates who charge that some schools are practicing discrimination by advising students with disabilities to go elsewhere. Educators defend the schools, saying the district’s open enrollment policy makes some degree of variation inevitable. An excerpt:

… in some cases it’s easy to sympathize with both the parents and the schools: Families have every right to full services, but schools cannot  always get the money and staff they need to provide them.

See related post: Opinion: Open charter doors to students with disabilities

Harvard University professor Thomas Hehir, writing in Education Week, calls for action to make sure that students with disabilities have access to charter schools. Presently, he says, students with special needs are conspicuously underrepresented in such schools.

Hehir, who served as director of the U.S. Department of Education’s office of special education programs in the Clinton administration, says officials should develop policies to assure that charters are not discriminating against students with disabilities.

He recommends increased monitoring of charters, enforcement of civil rights protections, financial sanctions against charters which fail to enroll equitable shares of students with disabilities, and support to assist schools in serving students with diverse needs. An excerpt:

The charter school movement shows much promise, and is providing important choice options within the American education system. It’s time to assure that all children benefit from it.