E.F. v. New York City Dept. of Educ. is class action filed on January 26, 2021 in the United States Federal District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The complaint describes a situation where D75 students are educated in trailers or segregated buildings without the same opportunities to participate in activities that are available at general education schools. In other words, the children are warehoused. The complaint demands that the DOE be ordered to develop a "remedial plan" to insure that the children are educated in "the most integrated setting according to their needs." That's great. However, there is another problem with D75 classes because students are dumped into D75 classes lack specialization. Different children with different needs are in the same class and the special education teachers don't necessarily have the skill to work with every kind of disability. I'd go one step further to demand that the DOE develop a broader continuum of placements to respond to a variety of disabilities. Also, I would hope that reforms sought by E.F. would extend to all New York City schools, whether they're in Staten Island, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn or Manhattan!
- bschinagle