From the The Villager
At the beginning of the Hillsboro-Deering school board on Monday, the parents of a middle school special education student asked to speak with the school board. At first they were told by acting chairman, Kathy Pepper that the board would not hear their concerns. But board member John Segedy called for a vote that reversed her decision.
Segedy referred to policy KE, which deals with public complaints about school personnel. He explained that the parents had followed the steps through the administration with their complaints and that, according to policy, they had every right to be heard by the board. Pepper was defeated by board members Pam Butler, Paul Plater and John Segedy. Chairman Babette Haley was not present at the meeting.
As the parents met with the school board in non-public session, those attending the public part of the meeting milled about outside the Media Center where the non-public session was being held. Among them were Joel Durham’s parents, Cynthia and Joel Sr.
The Durhams said they were attending the meeting not to speak, but to ensure that the school board and the administration knew they were actively pursuing their own case.
Their son, Joel, 17, is currently attending Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center, where he has been since he was ten years old. He was placed there by the Henniker Community School. Since then the Durhams moved to Deering. The Durhams want Joel to remain at Crotched Mountain, whereas the H-D school district wants to keep Joel in the district at the high school.
Joel has severe medical difficulties that have resulted in daily seizures and is confined to a stroller. The Durhams are currently pursuing due process with the Department of Education (DOE). The date of their hearing is July 24.
The Durhams say the district is violating FAPE, or Free Appropriate Public Education, by not providing the summer schedule that Crotched Mountain is providing, according to the facility’s Individual Education Program (IEP). Crotched Mountain is providing an eight-week schedule, five days a week, for six hours a day. If Joel were at summer school in the Hillsboro-Deering district, the school would only be providing four-and-a-half weeks, four days a week, for five-a-half hours a day.
“They never said specifically [what their program would be], but said they could provide everything for his IEP,” said Cynthia Durham.
“It’s been cut more than in half,” said Joel Sr.
But with the Durhams involved with due process and a hearing set for July 24, the issue of summer school is nearly moot, considering there would only be one more week of summer school left by then.