REQUIRED STUDENTS TO ATTEND “CLUSTER SCHOOLS”
Because the Lincoln Public Schools (in Lincoln, Nebraska) was believed to have violated the Americans with Disabilities Act – by denying the deaf and hearing impaired the ability to attend neighborhood schools – in mid-February, the United States Department of Justice issued a letter to the school district demanding that the offending policies and procedures be modified, and that compensatory damages be paid.
Apparently, the impacted individuals were required to attend “a cluster school serving deaf and hard of hearing students,” and denied the ability to school neighborhood schools of their choice. That policy posed a hardship in terms of extended commute times, and triggered the incurrence of increased transportation costs.
In a written statement, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division noted that “Denying students with disabilities the right to attend their neighborhood school based on a blanket policy is discriminatory and runs afoul of our nation’s civil rights laws ….. The Justice Department will defend children’s rights to equal educational opportunities in schools, including the right to attend school along with their siblings, friends and members of their community.”
Do you think Lincoln's listening now?
# # #