4 Connecticut school districts accused of disability discrimination

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Four Connecticut school districts are facing allegations of disability discrimination.

It’s part of a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Justice, following a report by the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) and Disability Rights Connecticut (DRCT).

The report said the Waterbury, Hartford, Bridgeport and Stratford school districts were part of a lack of oversight to High Road Schools, which offers special education services.

A two-year investigation found that many children placed at High Road by the school districts were “grossly underserved.”

“The question that I’ve had is, ‘How does this happen?’” Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski said. “And no one has a good answer.”

The report claimed High Road — a private-equity owned, state-approved and publicly funded special education program — relied on seclusion and restraint to manage students’ behavioral problems.

Waterbury, Hartford, Bridgeport and Stratford allegedly sent students to High Roads, particularly of low-income children from Black and Brown communities.

Pernerewski said the alleged discrimination happened before he took office, but the report is heartbreaking.

“What really is upsetting to me is that back in 2022, Waterbury and many other districts, north of 18 districts, received the same letter about concerns that OCA and DRCT had about High Road School, and we did nothing about it,” Pernerewski said.

The complaint said High Road serves to more than 300 children from 42 Connecticut school districts.

There were more than 1,200 reported incidents of restraint and seclusion during the 2021-22 school year.

In on example, five Waterbury students were restrained a total of 83 times and secluded a total of 44 times.

Pernerewski said Waterbury eliminated seclusion rooms within the district, now he wants to see better communication and oversight at High Road.

“I want to make sure that we’re out there sending someone to inspect those schools on a regular basis,” Pernerewski said. “Let’s send someone to see what’s going on, and let’s send them out there unannounced to see what’s going on. Make sure the teachers are certified, make sure we’re doing the ppts, making sure that we’re adjusting.”

The report also said many High Road educators lacked teacher certification from the state of Connecticut.

Waterbury Public Schools Superintendent Verna Ruffin said that district has reached out to the state and asked to meet “and discuss the concerns regarding students attending High Road School and the status of how this was addressed in Waterbury Public Schools.

“We are in the process of scheduling this meeting at this time based on everyone’s availability,” Ruffin said.

A spokesperson for Bridgeport Public Schools said the district cannot comment at this time.

Hartford and Stratford school districts have not responded to a request for comment.

Connecticut’s Child Advocate, Sarah Egan, was unavailable Monday for comment.

Deborah Dorfman, the executive director and attorney for Disability Rights Connecticut, said she’s concerned about the lack of oversight.

“Among the many, but most pressing concerns includes the high rates of seclusion and restraints of students at High Road schools and the lack of appropriate positive behavioral supports,” she said. “We are also troubled by the overall high utilization by school districts of segregated out of district placements for children with behavioral health and/or intellectual disabilities. These problems need to be immediately remediated.”

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