Archive

Blackman v. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA & JONES v. District of Columbia

Clarence Sundram was appointed as a member of the Evaluation Team and later as the Court Monitor in a special education lawsuit in Washington DC. Blackman v. District of Columbia is a class action originally filed in 1997 to challenge the city public school system's failure to comply with requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that guarantees children with disabilities the right to a free and appropriate public education. The case was consolidated with another, Jones v. District of Columbia, and a 2006 consent decree set specific goals for the city to address the needs of hundreds of students with mental or physical disabilities who were awaiting services. The city agreed to eliminate a backlog of more than 1,000 decisions by hearing officers ordering the school system to provide services to which the students are entitled under the IDEA. However, the school system has repeatedly missed deadlines to comply with the decree. In December 2007, an agreement resulting from the dispute-resolution process mandated by the decree committed the city to more than $6 million worth of programs. Included are additional mental health services, more nationally recognized models for helping students with disabilities in the classroom and more support for parents.

Court Reports

Date Title Description
2008-10-01 EVALUATION TEAM REPORT FOR 2007-08 First report of the Evaluation Team of the implementation efforts of the DC Public Schools and the Office of State Superintendent of Education
2009-09-25 EVALUATION TEAM REPORT FOR 2008-09 Reporting on improved level of performance although falling short of the compliance levels required, and describing systemic problems with data systems
2009-09-25 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR 2008-09 REPORT Reporting on improved level of performance although falling short of the compliance levels required, and describing systemic problems with data systems
2010-12-10 EVALUATION TEAM REPORT FOR 2009-10 Reporting on the misclassification of cases as timely when they were not in order to report higher levels of compliance than the data would support.
2011-12-23 COURT MONITOR'S YEAR END REPORT FOR 2010-11 Report describing implementation practices which continue to report cases as timely which were not due to administrative practices which mischaracterized implementation effort. Also report on attorney fee payment practices, data accuracy and related services capacity.
2012-12-10 COURT MONITOR'S YEAR END REPORT FOR 2011-12 Report describing implementation practices which continue to report cases as timely which were not due to administrative practices which mischaracterized implementation effort. Also report on attorney fee payment practices, data accuracy and related services capacity.
2014-02-03 COURT MONITOR'S YEAR END REPORT FOR 2012-13 Finding that the Defendants are close to achieving compliance with the metrics in the Jones case, but despite their assertions, have not. The report also found significant improvements in the special education practices and a decline in the number of due process complaints.
2014-11-17 COURT MONITOR'S YEAR END REPORT FOR 2013-14 Reviewing evidence of compliance with the exit criteria. And reviewing samples of case where the Monitor was authorized to review "provision waivers" by students' attorneys which exempted the Defendants from implementing requirements of relief won as a result of due process complaints.
2013-04-23 COURT MONITOR'S REPORT ON DCPS ATTORNEY FEE PAYMENT PRACTICES Examining the working of the administrative process created by DCPS for the payment of attorney fees as an alternative to application to a court. The report found that attorneys use this process for its speed and simplicity but that it lacked transparency in the process and consistent application of rules.
2014-12-16 STATEMENT OF CLARENCE J SUNDRAM TO THE COURT Reporting that the Defendants had achieved compliance with the metrics in the court orders in both cases and commending them for their efforts.