After a passionate statement, a board member at a Massachusetts school board meeting unintentionally recorded a board member calling a parent who was fighting for his autistic son a “pain in the a–” on the hot mic.
At a public school board meeting in February, Gaurav Jashnani, a parent of a son with autism and ADHD in the Northampton Public Schools District, advocated for the extension of special education services.
When the worried father discovered a copy of the meeting that contained the school board members’ alleged comments, he discovered that, despite his sincere appeal, his speech had apparently irritated them more than it had inspired them.
After reading the transcript of the complaints board members reportedly directed at him, he returned to another school committee meeting on March 13 with a vengeance.
According to the transcript, the board allegedly insulted him by calling him a “pain in the a–” and comparing him to a family member.
The board tried to locate his social media accounts and labeled him as “one of those ‘Save Our Schools’ people,” he said.
“Concerningly, indicating their prejudice toward my possible political affiliations during a meeting about services for my child.
One of them… casually admits general and systematic non-compliance with IEPs as a norm in our school district,” Jashnani stated.
He persisted in questioning the school board about their actions and the transcript’s contents, claiming that the school intentionally “underserved” families and failed to provide students with the necessary resources for an IEP, or independent education plan, which is given to many students who are underdevelopmentally compared to their peers.
We have so many families with children that require so much more than we provide. In front of the meeting attendees, Jashnani read the board members’ alleged statement, “And they don’t know that they can come in and make a fuss.”
“This is how our administrators talk about us. Administrators admitting systematic violations of state and federal disability law and then submitting it to the state,” he stated.
Nevertheless, the worried father pointed out that he blamed the lack of financing rather than the administrators or board members.
Jashnani explained that his son’s IEP was violated at first since he only had a para-educator in the classroom three days a week.
He claimed that after the matter was momentarily settled, the para-educator was quickly transferred without informing Jashnani or his family.
Currently, his son works with at least five different persons, which he claimed is unsuitable for a youngster with autism.
“I hear students say they are being harmed in this meeting, I hear teachers say they are being literally attacked – there’s not enough staff. I’m a parent telling you this district is failing and harming my child… I expect better,” Jashnani stated.
When Jashnani’s formal complaint against the district was resolved in late March, it was determined that the school had violated his son’s right to a free and suitable public education by not adhering to the state special education statute.
According to the Globe, the Northampton Public Schools District must provide the education department with a student schedule by April 18 to guarantee that remedial action would be taken.
However, Jashnani intends to bring a further lawsuit on the remarks, most likely claiming widespread noncompliance.
This information has been sourced from NY Post.
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