Fairfield-Echo.com

FAIRFIELD — The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights is investigating a complaint filed against the Fairfield City School District by a local family.

The Jan. 7 complaint alleges the district retaliated against a student with special needs after the parents filed a complaint with the Ohio Department of Education.

Jim Bradshaw of the U.S. Department of Education media relations office in Washington said the goal is to wrap up the investigation within six months, but in the meantime, Patricia Powell said her 7-year-old son is "slipping away" without an adequate education.

Matthew Powell has a rare form of autism, cerebral palsy and numerous physical ailments that require full-time medical care. While the district provides a nurse and an aide to sign to Matthew, Powell said her son's symptoms of autism worsen without specialized care.

According to a March 4 diagnosis by Douglas Ris, the director of Neuropsychology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Matthew should have "intensive and highly specialized educational and behavioral services."

Powell said she and her husband, Steve, filed a complaint to the Ohio Department of Education Nov. 17, 2007, to ensure their child is not left behind in a district where their other children have thrived. Of the many complaints, she said her son is still not attending the specialized school promised to him and the district charged her son's insurance instead of paying for promised services.

"We're not fighting the school," Powell said. "It's just that they made promises for our son and then they took those away."

Superintendent Cathy Milligan said she could not speak to the specific case, but said the resources available to the district are organized to create the most effective instructional setting, which means bringing students from different schools together with an instructional team.

"This enhances both group and individual instruction, as well as students' interactions and learning from each other," she said.

Last year the district spent $11,894,057 providing resources and programs to the 1,232 students who had Individualized Education Plans, or an average of $9,654 per student. The disabilities these students face range from relatively mild to very severe, and the cost per student also varies, Milligan said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5067

or lhilty@coxohio.com.

Vote for this story!