Joan Gaylord, former education reporter at The Hour, wrote a story for The Daily Norwalk about Stacy Lore's arrest. Gaylord reported on this story extensively, and in fact, uncovered many critical facts.
For those of you who don't know, Stacy Lore, the owner of Spectrum Kids LLC, posed as a certified behavior therapist for autistic pre-school children and billed the Norwalk schools almost $160K. Turns out, she was a fraud, falsifying her credentials.
Ms. Gaylord highlights several important issues in her story, including the ineffectiveness and lack of accountability in our district regarding this terrible incident.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
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I'm glad that she has finally been arrested. Now if the city could be re-imbursed for the $ paid to her. Too bad the children who were put in danger by her illegal and unethical practices will never get the time back.
ReplyDeleteMANY, MANY THANKS to Kim Graham and Margaret Bustell who fought for all our kids in exposing this fraud and the mind-numbing incompetence of the school department.
ReplyDeleteTwo great parents made a world of difference for kids everywhere (especially because Lore had re-started her scam in other states).
Mind numbing incompetence, perhaps, but don't make the mistake of saying it like it was the whole school department. I believe this falls in Special Education's lap?
ReplyDelete11:53 - The special education department would never be authorized to approve such a large contract. It takes "higher ups" to approve something of this magnitude.
ReplyDeleteWhile the contract may have had the recommendation (not to be confused with "approval") of the special education department, where was the due diligence of the upper administration?
ACLU puts on its boots.
ReplyDeleteThere is hope.
For immediate release: 3.31.10
http://www.aclu.org/blog/racial-justice/no-more-secrets-rhode-islands-truancy-courts
All the venting on Ms. Lore may help folks feel some relief of vindication for the frustrating brick alls they keep pounding their heads against but what we have here is a structural collapse.
It's not just the people, its also our antiquated education model.
This is the fault of an incompetent special education department and Fay. The CREC report is a must read. 5 special education administrators?? Why so many?? And look at the mess they made! Everyone reading this must agree that a change must be made. This department has failed our children for too long. Our children deserve better!!
ReplyDeleteHiring someone, particularly for this specialized area, without checking their credentials was just plain and willful, if you will, negligence. I'm not sure NPS as a whole should be responsible, but I do believe the person or persons responsible for hiring this fraud should be directly responsible, as naive as that may sound.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joan (and Moina) for being a real journalist and not the political patsy type. It took real gutts for Joan to keep driving this story despite the threats and opposition.
So can we cut these administrators and solve our budget crisis? Do we need them really??
ReplyDeleteThis is the fault of the previous BOE. I am thankful that all incumbents were voted out of office this past november. Unfortunately, the new guys have to clean up their mess! The previous BOE should be ashamed of even walking into another meeting!
ReplyDeleteThis embarrassment has nothing to do with the BOE. The board hires staff to do the work of running the school system, and the staff screwed up. I don't know which staff screwed up, but it was probably a combination of people. The question is: Who signed the approvals leading to the contract?
ReplyDeleteBut wait, there hasn't been enough change, YET!
ReplyDeleteJanie Friedlander's apologist-in-chief, Susan Hamilton, and Jodi "Why Worry about Real Oversight when you bust teachers' chops over Field Trips" are still trying to inflict their vision onto Norwalk's kids
Please dont get me started on Attorney Marsha Moses who did Corda's bidding in her whitewash report last year Now that her firm is being investigated for really unfair tactics used against us (the parents) maybe the powers that be will finally start to listen to the new people.
Moses and Friedlander are the ones that need to hear that door slam.
ReplyDeleteLock em up.
Their actions were criminal and caused significant damage and unnesscary pain and hardship, much more damgage than Lore could ever do.
They went to extreme and illegal lengths to squelch the parents.
When confronted about violating Federal and State law, Friedlander responded,
"I dont know what Moses does, I just authorize the payments".
FBI doesn't need minnow like Lore, look at the ones that, blatantly, in your face, violated numerous federal and state laws. Not any little petty larceny here, serious major big house crimes.
Corda is also culpable and was held to some accountability. However, he still gets his pension and benefits, even after aloowing the district to implode on itself. But he wanted no part of what was occuring, once he found out, can give him that much.
Hamilton and Pullman, just dont have a clue.
You people want to pinch the ones that really need pinching > Moses and Friedlander <
Who in the NPS suggested Lore? If Friedlander authorizes payments, someone up there must have come up with Lore as a good person to recommend. Who was it?
ReplyDeleteFriedlander, Shippee, and Krawiecki need to be held accountable for this mess. They destroyed the special education department with their incompetence and neglect. It is common knowledge that Shippee goes from school to school making fun of Krawiecki, Friedlander, and Bud in full ear shot of parents and staff. Always looking to deflect attention away from herself. Friedlander was only interested in a paycheck. This needs to stop. Their incompetence has hurt the children they service. WHEN WILL THIS STOP! When will they be held accountable for all the damage they have done?
ReplyDeleteI would imagine that the Asst Director is also responsible. Interesting that his name was not mentioned above. Could it be that blame is intentionally being diverted from him???
ReplyDeleteWhy do we allow this nonsense in our city? Why do we allow sickness in the school system that will "educate" our children, the future leaders? If you mention Corda, the Supt. who left w/ a whole lot of Norwalk loot, probably laughing all the way to the bank and who ever the Asst. Supt. is, then you ought to also look at Columbus School and the shameful things that were covered up there as well. I wonder where these files are. Hugh McKiernen, Corda's boy, knew about the mishaps of this problem school, but his hands were tied in handling them whether or not he will admit it publicly or not.
ReplyDeleteFunny, how Corda's retirees budette was McKiernan's job in central office, despite complaints that centered this city-claimed magnet school gone horrible after Mr. P. retired and how the new hotshot was ushered in to keep the asst. principal out.
Everyone wants to complain and cry, but no one has the guts to use citizen power as they do in France AND GET RID OF THE RIFF-RAFF who serve themselves more than they serve the children or their parents. Such crybabies and whiners, when will you DO SOMETHING? So many want everyone else to do the work as they sit back in political safeness. I don't think the posters on this site are like that. I believe you attend the meetings and do what needs to be done. But we are in the mess we are in because of SELFISHNESS and the wrong type of politics. NONE OF THIS COULD HAVE EVER HAPPENED IN FRANCE without an uproar.
Why did Corda last so long on our dime?
Why did we keep voting in the same BOE members?
Come on people. Most of us are doing the work of educating our children at home, or paying astronomical amounts to mediocre tutors or learning centers. These children only get one shot at a good education. ONE SHOT! We, the post-60's generation are not doing them the justice our parents did for us.
1:45, what are you talking about? What things were hushed up about Columbus School? I never heard anything.
ReplyDeleteAnon 145 sounds like a raving lunatic. What about Columbus? What's all the mess about France? Are you sane?
ReplyDeleteAnon 145 must be a Norwalk special ed administrator! Talks about hushing things up, makes no sense, and sounds like a raving lunatic.
ReplyDeleteSo can anyone shed some light....what happened at Columbus? My kids go there and I have no clue. Please respond!!
ReplyDelete"or paying astronomical amounts to mediocre tutors or learning centers. " Poster 1:45 I find it hard to believe that a parent would do this...
ReplyDeleteHello....can someone be specific about what is happening at Columbus. I am very upset.
ReplyDeleteI agree that 1:45 sounds like a special ed administrator trying to avoid taking some blame for what happened. He seems to be pointing the finger of blame on everyone else there. Nice to know that a department sticks knives in each others backs! What a group!
ReplyDeleteSO why aren't some of the people who hired Stacy Lore losing their job--they should!!
ReplyDeleteWhat have they done to address the CREC report? Answer = Nothing. Must be too busy back stabbing each other. Start questioning the staff. Find out how many times special ed admin told them to lie at PPT meetings.
ReplyDelete1:45 does not sound like a lunatic, but more like someone who has had enough and wonder why we complain and speak here and really don't know much about what really goes on and do little than rant anonymously about the things we do know. It seems the poster has some things in common with posters 21 - 24 on yourct.com's "Fixing Norwalk Schools Three Years Later; Lore Arrested." It is really a shame that all of this is going on right under our noses and on our dimes.
ReplyDeleteAs I keep reading between the lines of many posts, here and on other local blogs, I am piecing things together. I would suggest the judgemental of you do the same before we continue to end up with a crappy schools system. Look for the truth regardless of the style. Truth is truth, lest we continue with more of the same neatly written things that say nothing and allow the sickness to continue "neatly."
In response to the 6:30pm post, I completely agree. Nothing has been done to correct any of the problems from the CREC report. I don't know how anyone in education can read that report and not be sickened enough to want to start cultivating change. From the PPTs that I have been to, it seems as if most of them are pre-judged right from the start. There is no real parent participation. The spec ed admin only want the parents to participate so that the staff can deman them and tell them they are the "problems" with their kids. The lawyers are paid handsomely so that they can direct the staff on how to answer emails, respond to parent questions or concerns in ways that provide only half-truths at best so that NPS can keep the spec ed numbers down. All the while the parents have even more heartache and stress to deal with and the kids just hang out in the wind with no real help. It's beyond me how most of the powers that be can look themselves in the mirror at the end of every day. What great role models they are for our kids. It's beyond sick. The amount of money that is spent on trying to deny anything of substance could be so much better spent in way more productive ways.
ReplyDeleteVery well put, April 3, 8:34 PM. Very well put and thank you, but now what do we do?
ReplyDeleteFrom April 3, 8:05 PM
8:43 is right on. Special ed admin use intimidation of staff if you do not lie for them. What can be done? Someone needs to investigate.
ReplyDeleteSo are Steve and the other board of ed people reading this??? I know they are. Can you please comment! what will be done??
ReplyDelete8:43 you are so correct!
ReplyDelete"From the PPTs that I have been to, it seems as if most of them are pre-judged right from the start. There is no real parent participation. The spec ed admin only want the parents to participate so that the staff can deman them and tell them they are the "problems" with their kids. The lawyers are paid handsomely so that they can direct the staff on how to answer emails, respond to parent questions or concerns in ways that provide only half-truths at best so that NPS can keep the spec ed numbers down."
Why do we need to keep the sp ed numbers low? I do not understand that at all. We are only hurting those kids that need our help the most!
ReplyDeleteIn response to 6:50pm...I really don't know. I assume that it has to do with costs, as it can be expensive to properly educate these children, which is certainly understandable in today's economic climate. However, what is mind boggling to me is that NPS would rather pay lawyers and waste everyone's time rather than spend the money, energy, and time to find more cost-effective solutions that help everyone -- both regular education and special education, sort of like the teach a man to fish philosophy. In addition, I cannot believe that some of the tactics that are used can promote a feel-good environment within the schools. For example, if a teacher really became a teacher to help children and to educate them, how can he/she feel good about themselves and their job when they are told to withhold information, speak half-truths, etc. in the name of denying rights to children and parents of special needs children. It must make them feel horrible about themselves and their school's team, which ultimately only deprives every child in the end. Plus, it leaves the teachers to have to be stretched even more since they then receive no help or training to deal with a lot of kids that may need tweaking in their programs or even more help than the teachers are qualified to provide. It is just a horrible cycle for everyone that starts at the top -- all the while the kids suffer and the school system fails to move forward and falls further and further behind.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what the solution is. I would have thought that a report as stinging as the CREC report would have been a call to arms, but it certainly doesn't seem that way. Look no further even than the whole Stacy Lore fiasco. Given what happened, central office should have been leading the charge to get to the bottom of things, yet it really was the parents that pushed. To think that parents had to file a freedom of information petition just to get straight answers from NPS about Lore's qualifications is mind-boggling. Where wsa the concern on their part of the harm she was doing to the children. And where was the concern on their part over the harm it was doing to the reputation of NPS?
Although it doesn't help anyone's cause per se, it is at least nice to read all the above blogs and realize the parents aren't going crazy in terms of thinking how bad the spec ed department is, in sort of a misery loves company sort of way.
Good luck and keep the faith that good always wins out in the end!
Without offering any comment on the criminal prosecution, I have been troubled by the over-use of lawyers in PPT's. In my opinion, these are not adversarial hearings, and when the school has an attorney present, it makes it less of a cooperative situation.
ReplyDeleteI have been assured by the central administration that significant progress is being toward the CREC report goals-- I would suspect that greater focus will be given to that matter, particularly when a new superintendent is hired. Although I was an inclusion teacher when I taught high school social studies in Massachusetts, I am not an expert in the particulars of the CT process and want to educate myself before making general claims about the role of the special education specialists in Norwalk.
All I can say is that an educator I have no idea how special ed comes up with their labels on children. Everyone is speech and language at the school I work at. They don't even communicate with the classroom teacher to see what the students actual needs are and half the time they don't even take the students when they are supposed to, but seem to show up again the week before a PPT! My principal constantly tells us that the classroom teachers have more resources than the special ed department to deal with our special needs students. It's sad because they make the same as a classroom teacher but they are useless. Maybe if we had better trained special ed teachers we would not need all these lawyers. If we did the right thing for these students from the beginning they wouldn't have to go to other schools. Absolutely useless!
ReplyDelete6:35 Leadership starts at the top. If true, where is the special ed supervision?
ReplyDeleteExactly 6:35! Who actually monitors what they are doing?
ReplyDeleteThe special education department is the responsibility of the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.
ReplyDeleteThe principal evaluates the special ed teachers in the schools. If there is a problem, the special ed administrator is notified. If the Assistant Superintendent is not alerted to a problem by (1) the special ed administrator, (2) the principal or (3) a parent who has started by complaining to the principal, then the chain of command has been broken. It is necessary to go through the chain of command before directing blame.
ReplyDelete7:16am...Have you read the CREC report? It starts at the top. So to complain to anyone in the above-mentioned chain of command is pointless. I have and feel like I put my child in harm's way by doing so. Now what?
ReplyDelete7:16 - To say that the assistant superintendent hasn't acted because no one informed him about a problem is indeed a very weak argument. Anyone who doesn't know that special education has serious problems is out of touch.
ReplyDeleteIf he doesn't know, shame on him. If he does know, then it is his responsibility to take the initiative to determine what must be done. It is also his responsibility to make the intermediate administrators do their jobs or supervision and reporting when necessary.
The BOE, school, and school officials are to blame and should be on trial here. They keep saying this woman only had a GED...how is that possible that she was knew enough to get the job? I hope she writes a book on the Special Education Situation in CT. Also - what do we know about these parents that started the "witch hunt"? On other blogs people are raving about the services? So what was up with these clients. Norwalk beware of the gold diggers that are going to crawl out from under the rocks now! These parents don't look like they have much judging from the News 12 Long Island video. Not nice homes, or anything. Norwalk tax payers beware!
ReplyDeleteMessage to Kim Graham and Margaret Bustell!!! Great Job with Lore - shows the passion and dedication to your kids and others. Time to hold other folks accountable for this. There should be an internal investigation and those heads must go. Too much of a risk to continue on having those folks in the system. What can we do to get these folks removed from their positions?
ReplyDelete