11.23.2020 | The CITY | The federal class action filing by the nonprofit Advocates for Children identifies eight students as complainants who have missed out on legally mandated services during remote learning for a host of reasons \u2014 including iPad shortages and the challenge of delivering services such as physical therapy remotely.<\/p>
The suit also cites a lack of translation and interpretation services for students and parents as an obstacle.<\/p>
The case argues that the city Department of Education\u2019s current hearings system \u2014 under which parents can file complaints to reclaim the counseling, physical therapy and more their kids have been missing out on \u2014 is too complicated and costly for most families to navigate.\u00a0<\/p>
They say the log-jammed system, which fielded nearly 11,000 complaints in the 2019-2020 school year that took an average of 259 days to resolve, would inevitably move too slowly given the expected flurry of parents seeking services for their children.<\/p>
\u201cThis is a time when students can\u2019t wait \u2014 they\u2019ve already almost lost a year of appropriate services,\u201d said Rebecca Shore, director of litigation for Advocates for Children.<\/p>