State Tells Scandal-Ridden Haredi-Controlled School District To Stop Sending Kids To Yeshivas For Special Ed – Or Else
In a February 6 letter, New York State’s Department of Education’s the
Assistant Commissioner James DeLorenzo reportedly stands by the state’s
findings that the haredi-controled East Ramapo school district
repeatedly violated the law by placing hasidic students with
disabilities in private yeshiva schools at district expense.
The Orthodox president of the haredi-controled scandal-ridden East Ramapo school board Daniel Schwartz, Esq.
State Tells Scandal-Ridden Haredi-Controlled School District To Stop Sending Kids To Yeshivas For Special Ed – Or Else
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
In a February 6 letter, New York State’s Department of Education’s the Assistant Commissioner James DeLorenzo reportedly stands by the state’s findings that the haredi-controled East Ramapo school district repeatedly violated the law by placing hasidic students with disabilities in private yeshiva schools at district expense. The state insists that East Ramapo take corrective action. East Ramapo refuses because it claims the state is misapplying the law and has threatened to sue the state if the district is forced to take its Jewish special education students out of yeshivas.
Since 2010, East Ramapo has been cited by the state three times. Eventually, the state withheld funding; it may soon withhold more.
DeLorenzo’s letter, first reported in The Journal News, is clear.
If East Ramapo does not comply with several requirements, including creating a plan to bring the disabled students who’ve been sent to private yeshiva schools for Yiddish education programs back into district schools, the state will take action against East Ramapo.
“A [public school] must conduct itself in compliance with the letter and purpose of the law. We find in these instances, that the district did not do so, and is now attempting to justify its actions under the law,” DeLorenzo wrote, adding that if East Ramapo doesn’t comply, it is subject to various potential enforcement actions by the Department of Education. Those possible enforcement actions reportedly include redirection of funds, withholding of funds and, most importantly, an order from the State Commissioner of Education to the East Ramapo school board and the district’s schools superintendent.
If such an order is issued and the East Ramapo school board willfully violates it, the commissioner has the legal right to remove school board members from office.
The state can also take over the school district, but it would need special legislation passed to approve it.
Elie Wizman, East Ramapo’s assistant superintendent for the Office of Special Student Services and Funded Programs, told the Journal News that East Ramapo plans to ask DeLorenzo for state guidance to improve the special education program, even though East Ramapo “always felt” the program was compliant.
“What we felt this letter was about was pretty much him saying, ‘Yes, you can do these things that you’ve been doing [sending hasidic children out of the district to hasidic schools for special education classes] but you need to do them procedurally better,’…The issue until now has been that because of religious and cultural convictions, the very large private school community has not felt comfortable [with in-district placements] and almost always went into litigation with us [to force us to send their kids to the yeshivas],” Wizman reportedly said.
the state MUST take over the east ramapo school district.
the non jewish children deserve a decent, no...a wonderful education and the frum members of the board have made sure that this is not happening.
it's criminal. CRIMINAL
Posted by: ruthie | February 15, 2013 at 02:22 PM
What they should do is send the kids to the public school but have them taught after the public school children are dismissed.
Yeshivas tend to teach the hebrew subjects in the morning and the secular studies in the afternoon. The only problem is that the kids will have to be bussed to and from the yeashiva and the public school.
As usual the needs of the children are last. The "lofty" goal of separation of church and state must come first.
Posted by: dave | February 15, 2013 at 02:23 PM
Why can't the kids go to public schools in the morning and afternoon Talmud Torahs later, like back in the day?
Posted by: Yochanan Lavie | February 15, 2013 at 02:37 PM
I do not believe that the Yesiva students will ever set foot in the public schools. An anti Zionist once told me that not only didn't he want to send his kids to schools with my public school kids; he didn't want to send his kids to school with Zionist kids either.
While dealing with the unfair special education placements is a good start, it is only a partial answer. Men who are not educated themselves should not be presiding over public school education.
As it stands right now, our public school kids are getting a yeshiva education...without the Torah....no sports, no arts, no music, no AP courses, no exracurriculars, etc....and they are not being prepared for college. These public school kids are not being prepared for jobs either, no contact with the outside world or field trips to museumsm etc.I wonder if there will be a class for how to collect social welfare benefits ? See...we are all brothers and sisters...our board just wants for our kids the same thing they wanly for theirs....just one problem...there won't be any schmucks to pay the taxes!
Posted by: PearlodWisdom | February 15, 2013 at 03:17 PM
Danny boy has had his eyes on the donuts for a long time now! I wonder if they order in food for their school board meetings and how much they spend per member. The way this board acts, they probably order for their entire families for the week and charge it to the school.
Posted by: Devorah | February 15, 2013 at 03:43 PM
and the frummies continue to engage in all sorts of behavior which causes others to hate them. and then they scream, "ANTISEMITISM".
you guys are causing it, idiots.
Posted by: ah-pee-chorus | February 15, 2013 at 04:33 PM
Why is the $650.00 an hour lawyer being allowed to deal with this? He was hired to defend the Board members against lawsuits and now he is writing to Albany about the special ed children. Why isn't the overpaid school district "attorney" handling this. The taxpayers are paying $650 an hour for an out of state attorney to write letters to Albany. Why doesn't the Board trust D'Agostino? I wonder if its legal for the $650 to be handling this.
Posted by: yehudis | February 15, 2013 at 04:48 PM
As far as I know, departments of education are in the business of doing nothing. It's not like you hear everyday about them taking over districts as you hear everyday about haredi rabbis raping children. Departments of education are not as ambitious as rabbi rapists. The prevailing behavior is not unlike the post office. Do little, do it slowly, do it incorrectly, never focus on your consumer, have a powerful union and retirement. Even here, it looks like they only want a "plan." DB can drag that out forever.
DB, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you knew exactly what was going on and orchestrated it from the beginning in such a manner that playing dumb, applying unreasonable legal interpretations, ignoring your fiduciary duties and exploiting conflicts of interest and the lazy stupidity of departments of education will leave you in the clear, if you don't expire from old age first.
DB is going to slither through this and have the last laugh.
He'll be brought down eventually by the State Bar, IRS or some other collateral thing he can't help doing. I encourage every victim of his to report him to everyone appropriate. A criminal mind would never be satisfied with just a school district. This is the thread of the fabric that holds his life together.
Posted by: dh | February 15, 2013 at 05:07 PM
WHERE DO YOU FIND MORONS LIKE SWARTZ AND THEN GIVE HIM A ROLE ABOVE THAT OF A JANATORIAL POSITION. you reap what you sow and this is the result. scwartz should go make up a minyan for rabbi weiss and his father in law RABBI sholom mordechai. rabbi my bum.
Posted by: balderdash | February 16, 2013 at 02:50 AM
“What we felt this letter was about was pretty much him saying, ‘Yes, you can do these things that you’ve been doing [sending hasidic children out of the district to hasidic schools for special education classes] but you need to do them procedurally better,’…
Ah, no, you felt that, but that is not what it MEANS. Nice try Elie, that might work in Seasamee Street
Posted by: sadisticstevestrong | February 16, 2013 at 10:50 PM
New York - a fish stinks from the head down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOX8EjvVakk
Old link but pretty much says it all
Posted by: flatearth | February 17, 2013 at 08:04 AM