NJ Spotlight News

The state Office of Special Education doesn’t function as it should, families and some legislators say. Parents often don’t know that the office exists, and even when they do, they say it sometimes brushes off their requests to investigate issues. When the state does find in their favor, parents say, it may do little to fix the situation. And when a school district repeatedly offends, the state usually does not pursue systemic reform but instead sticks with case-by-case examinations.

Over the past two years, parents have sent nearly 3,000 requests to the Governor’s Office or its constituent relations team for information about the Office of Special Education. Many are now calling for an investigation of the agency, which is intended to protect the most vulnerable children. “It’s like a perfect storm of awful,” says Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, a Republican from Sussex County who sits on the education committee. Districts deny care to contain costs, the state lacks the capacity to step in effectively, and families are stuck in the middle, she says.