NJ Education Report

The Times of Trenton Editorial Board  opines that Trenton Public Schools’ in-district special education classes are “more like a 19th century backwater than 2013 New Jersey” and “a warehouse of hopelessness.”

Erin Duffy article here. Coverage here.

The editorial continues,

As Duffy reported, the budget plan for next school year allocates $18 million for special education instruction, in addition to millions for child study teams, occupational therapy and other services. Two years ago, 2,173, or 17 percent of all Trenton students, were classified as needing special education services.

If conditions at on the fifth floor of the Daylight Twilight High School are any indication of the return on that investment, Trenton is in more trouble than we had imagined.

None of the educators or officials Duffy contacted returned calls for comment. We’d very much like to hear what they have to say about this situation.

“Children with disabilities are entitled to special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs,” the state DOE promises on its website. 

That appears to be a promise unmet in the Trenton district.