A controversial piece of a complicated puzzle has emerged with an 18-page letter penned by Darien’s former special education director who describes a desperate Board of Education that hired her to fix a culture that catered to the whims of demanding parents and their high-powered lawyers.
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The number of children attending schools outside of Darien reached a seven-year high last year, according to a Darien Times analysis. This happened as Darien High School was ranked best in the state by U.S. News & World Report. Continue reading
The second most powerful special education administrator has resigned at the peak of Darien’s special education crisis to take a similar, lesser-paying position with Shelton Public Schools.
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Looking to file a Freedom of Information Act request for emails from elected Darien officials on a certain topic? Chances are you might not get everything you’re looking for, according to a Darien Times investigation.
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Educators and a former elected official rallied behind former Superintendent Steve Falcone’s efforts to get a job somewhere else, as the district Falcone led for three years was in the middle of an unprecedented special education crisis.
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A desk audit conducted during the summer by state officials found Darien Schools were out of compliance in 16 areas related to bullying, sexual harassment and gender equality in school sports. These findings have opened up a litany of other management issues going back to 2011, as a lack of information from the district administration has prevented the problems from receiving public scrutiny.
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A flood of information has drowned a once-parched parent community that is now trying to unravel an assortment of issues that could have harmed the town’s most vulnerable students, and perhaps also, its most creative.
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The silence has died.
In the wake of a growing and deepening public school crisis, current and former Darien Schools employees are stepping forward to shine some light on an assortment of problems that happened last year and which ended in findings of illegal activity and the resignation of the district’s superintendent.
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“It was the most difficult job of my career.”
The words of attorney Sue Gamm, said to The Darien Times, speak volumes to the depth of problems that took place in Darien’s special education program last year. If there were any doubts that the 25 parents who signed a complaint with the state Department of Education had been melodramatic with their concerns, it’s likely that Gamm’s summary report could dispel that assumption.
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Allegations have surfaced that could implicate a variety of school officials in yet another piece of a complicated and growing puzzle stemming from a crisis in the special education program.
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David DesRoches 