Parent Meeting

Attention parents/guardians, please join us for an important parent meeting scheduled on 1/9/12 (snow date 1/11/12) at the Bangs Community Center at 6pm.

This meeting is a rare opportunity to participate in a statewide movement to make the Commonwealth of Massachusetts including DESE and BSEA accountable for non enforcement of special education laws and regulations.
Light refreshments will be provided. Please contact Pat Ononibaku at 413 627 0043 if you need child care, transportation or translation service by 1/7/12.

Meeting Agenda
Attorney Michael Weisman is investigating the question:

Is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts currently meeting its duty to provide sufficient resources to support necessary special education services, whether those services are provided in-district or out-of-district?

The SEPAC Board would like to host an informal meeting with Attorney Michael Weisman and SEPAC parents who would be willing to talk to him about their special education experiences in this regard. It is not certain that this will develop into litigation, as Attorney Weisman is in the early investigative stages of this matter.

What he's looking for are examples of school districts denying services or placements despite clear and convincing evidence (from independent evaluators perhaps) that the child needs those services or that placement. Also the situation should have occurred fairly recently (within the past 12 months or less).

For Your information

You should know that attorney Weisman served as lead counsel in a suit brought in the Supreme Judicial Court on behalf of under-served Massachusetts public school children. The 1993 landmark decision McDuffy v Secretary held that the commonwealth had a constitutionally enforceable duty to provide all public school students with a quality education. The victory received national recognition and was a prime force behind the passage of the Massachusetts Educational Reform Act of 1993.

SEPAC Board would like to wish you all Happy Holidays!!!!