Special Needs Debate Widens

The action by the Jenks and Union school boards to sue the parents of special needs students has created a firestorm of controversy.

Pat McGuigan at CapitolBeatOk has a comprehensive article.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Carter, Superintendent Janet Barresi's chief of staff, responded to criticism of her Tweet in which she described the Jenks and Union board members as "dirtbags."

Carter told a Channel 5 reporter, “While I have been on maternity leave, I have understandably been more focused on my daughter than on education debates. However, as a new mother, I was outraged to learn that Union and Jenks were suing the parents of special needs children for simply seeking the best education for their children. I can imagine the pain and stress this ridiculous lawsuit is causing for those parents. I could have used a different word in my tweet, but the fact remains that it is unacceptable for these highly-paid superintendents to harass and bully parents at taxpayer expense. We should be encouraging parental involvement in our schools, not suing them. Those parents have done nothing wrong. The administrators at Jenks and Union can’t say the same thing.”

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