Pricey special-needs lesson for state

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 31, 2012

~~<p>Years after removal of federal court oversight of Hawaii's education of learning-disabled students, a landmark settlement this week highlights ongoing problems — and sends a strong reminder of the state's obligation to educate all children and strengthen school protocols against "deliberate indifference."</p>
<p>The state has agreed to pay $4.4 million to settle a lawsuit with a couple accusing the Department of Education of having failed to provide their daughters with appropriate autism-specific services during their formative years in the 1990s. The DOE should sharpen efforts to provide disabled students with proper education alongside general-education children, sending the clear message from administrators all the way down to campus educators that it might be penny-wise though pound-foolish to dismiss special needs.</p>
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Years after removal of federal court oversight of Hawaii's education of learning-disabled students, a landmark settlement this week highlights ongoing problems — and sends a strong reminder of the state's obligation to educate all children and strengthen school protocols against "deliberate indifference."

The state has agreed to pay $4.4 million to settle a lawsuit with a couple accusing the Department of Education of having failed to provide their daughters with appropriate autism-specific services during their formative years in the 1990s. The DOE should sharpen efforts to provide disabled students with proper education alongside general-education children, sending the clear message from administrators all the way down to campus educators that it might be penny-wise though pound-foolish to dismiss special needs. Login for more...