More Top Picks Best Bike Racks For Home Use
player ready...The Illinois State Board of Education on Thursday appealed a federal judge’s decision that insisted the state’s 20,500 special-education teachers focus half their professional development activities on special-ed topics instead of other general subjects.
The state board argued that it does not have the legal authority to change the teacher recertification program, which allows special-ed teachers to earn professional development credit hours through a host of activities–less than half of them aimed at working with disabled kids. Teachers with licenses must earn professional development credit hours to renew licenses.
Board officials offered a brief statement on their decision. “The 30 day timeline to file an appeal expired today, and the board filed the appeal to preserve the agency’s legal rights in addressing the judge’s ruling,” the statement reads.
The state board’s decision to appeal drags out a special-education legal battle that has raged in Illinois since a group of Chicago parents sued the state and Chicago Public Schools in 1992.
Known as the Corey H. case, the suit alleged that Chicago schools segregated special-education students into separate classrooms, away from non-disabled counterparts. The parents claimed state education officials did nothing to rectify the problem, so they also should be held responsible.
In 1998, U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman issued a scathing ruling saying the state was violating a federal law that insists special-ed students be educated in their neighborhood schools and in mainstream classes as much as possible.
Chicago Public Schools settled its portion of the suit in 1997. The state board, however, fought on.
In his 1998 decision, Gettleman also found that state’s system of certifying special-education teachers by using 11 different specific learning disability labels exacerbated the problem and violated federal laws. Gettleman told the state to change the system immediately.
The state board changed the certification system in March, reducing from 11 to five the number of categories for special-ed teaching certificates. Generally, the new guidelines mean that incoming special-ed teachers will be trained to handle a wider range of disabilities, instead of focusing on one.
But the state board has been telling special-ed teachers that Gettleman’s ruling would not affect them.
Gettleman saw things differently.
Last month, he told the state board to override the normal state rulemaking process and change the re-certification guidelines for special-education teachers. The board argues in its appeal that they do not have that power.