As you read this report, be mindful that none of the referenced official investigations or concerns over how Hartford Public Schools leadership and the Board of Education handle students with special needs were made from stated HPS teacher referrals or complaints.  If these outside officials would visit HPS schools and observe, and talk with teachers, and if teachers were willing to discuss with these folks what they are witnessing and experiencing with special needs students at HPS, the story would be much larger and the picture much darker.

In April of 2022, based on multiple complaints made over a year and a half concerning alleged abuse and neglect of a special needs student at HPS, and a resulting Department of Children and Families (DCF) investigation, the state Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) demanded Superintendent Torres-Rodriguez provide information ensuring that the child was being provided services as needed, information regarding corrective actions in response to DCF concerns, and information regarding staff and administration training (read the OCA demand letter here and HPS’ response here).

Then in March of 2024 the OCA and Disability Rights Connecticut released a report of their two-year investigation into programming deficiencies at High Roads schools.  Among those deficiencies, school districts, including Hartford, were cited for their lack of oversight concerning the programming and staff at High Roads schools where school districts were sending special needs students at a substantial cost to the sending district (read the OCA/DRCT report here and HPS’ response here).  HPS is where oversight goes to die.

On March 25th, the Hartford City Council approved a resolution which “requests” Superintendent Torres-Rodriguez come before the council and present a comprehensive (these folks do not know HPS leadership) report on what HPS is doing to assist homeless students in Hartford.

And just last week, the OCA and DRCT tag-teamed on a “letter of concern and information request” from HPS concerning HPS’ recent announced budget cuts and “the delivery and quality of education for all…as well as the possibility that such cuts may disproportionately harm students with disabilities.”

Despite the superintendent’s oft stated rhetoric, “[t]he combination of relatively flat funding and increasing costs, including tuition and special education, have forced us to make difficult decisions while continuing to work in service of our beautiful and capable students,” the OCA/DRCT letter reminded Torres-Rodriguez that, despite HPS’ budget woes and the beauty and capability of their students, “…districts must preserve essential services for students with disabilities, including specialized designed instruction, academic and behavior supports, speech therapy, and other related services as outlined in the student’s individualized education programs (IEPs). Without qualified staff to deliver these services, students with disabilities are unable to fully engage in their school communities and are denied access to a quality and equal education.”  These issues were prevalent at HPS during times when coffers were full of COVID relief money.

The OCA/DRCT letter stated that HPS’ planned budget cuts, approved by the BOE, “may disproportionately harm children in special education.”  The letter warned HPS that if these concerns prove accurate, then HPS will have “run afoul of the IDEA and state law as well as violations of Title II of the ADA and its implementing regulations.”  Meanwhile, board members write letters to newspapers.

The OCA and DRCT directive requested from the BOE (seriously?) and district leadership plans, initiatives, and strategies to ensure that students with disabilities at HPS will receive appropriate related services despite recent budget cuts.  They were supposed to respond to this request by last Friday, May 3rd.  I wouldn’t be surprised if HPS sent a one page answer: “We don’t have that information right now, but we will get it to you.”

The OCA and DRCT are no doubt troubled by Torres-Rodrigeuz’s stated plan if the district was to receive an influx of revenue: “…if Hartford Public Schools acquires additional revenue, the district will prioritize funding for high school teaching positions, social-emotional and behavioral supports and instructional coaches” (Hartford Courant, April 30, 2024, p. A1) (“instructional coaches” are central office employees).  I’m pretty sure the OCA and DRCT would have liked to have heard a response here prioritizing, or at least mentioning, students with disabilities, not central office folks.  But that’s just me.

The stated concerns and investigations included in this report happen partly out of complaints and allegations, and partly out of routine oversight by outside officials and agencies.  However, issues and concerns raised here would be greatly mitigated if (1), HPS had brought in a seasoned, qualified urban superintendent with a track record, and (2), the current BOE membership had even a superficial understanding of the term ‘oversight,’ and (3), if outside, oversight minded folks would talk to teachers on a routine basis.  The superintendent ignores whatever teacher complaints may reach her, the BOE does not engage teachers for information, yet these are the folks who have the most relevant information to share.