Although an investigation is allegedly underway, both “third party” investigators have lied, withheld information and/or misrepresented themselves regarding their affiliation to the law firm that represents District 155. One was a partner, and the other recently worked there. I asked the district for an investigation free from conflict of interest, yet we are now in March and my daughter has not yet had the opportunity to speak with an actual third party investigator…meaning someone with no conflict of interest. We have requested the [full of conflict of interest] investigator’s questions in writing, but have not received a response.
The Complaint Managers that were recommended by the Illinois State Board of Education refused to respond to my complaint. Instead, District 155 assigned that role to a woman who is directly involved. Again with the conflict of interest thing.
The district immediately lawyered up once I started asking simple questions about why my kid was excluded and seated with trash. I asked the board about their budget for legal fees against a parent who has no legal representation in this particular matter, and was met with heavy silence.
My child has not attended Art in about five weeks because no appropriate or reasonable accommodations, in accordance with the ADA, have been made. The teacher who blatantly denied inclusion (in person and in writing) is still teaching!
Imagine being a teacher and knowing that a child avoids their favorite class each day because of your cruel words and actions. Imagine being the staff members who collectively chose that seat by the trash can, who then enforced exclusion. Imagine being the building principal/soon-to-be-superintendent who sided with the garbage can, stating it “wasn’t used that much.” Imagine being the administrators who deliberately chose to conduct an unfair investigation. Imagine being the superintendent who will end his career as the man whose solution to disability discrimination was instructing the parents of a disabled child to make lemonade out of lemons.
Yes, he actually said that, in front of witnesses.
His solution to disability discrimination…
Lemonade.
Now imagine being that child who has fought her whole life to live…to finally make it to high school, and be treated like THIS by staff and administration.