Special Education Changes in Ridgewood Upset Parents

Parents of some special needs children in Ridgewood are in an uproar over the school board's decision to find a new vendor for home programs.

In April, the school board agreed to employ the services of Glen Rock-based Volt Wellness for home programs, which include certified psychologists, behaviorists, and therapists.

Savings are projected to be about $85,000 annually, according to school board president Sheila Brogan. The goal, she said, is to ensure students receive "quality services as required" in their individualized education programs (IEPs).

"We have always outsourced these services, we are simply changing provider from dozens of single providers to one provider," Brogan told Patch Monday. "Currently, therapists providing these services are not on staff. We are just switching to a new vender to manage and provide the service."

But at an informal meeting Thursday night with outgoing Director of Special Services Kerry Huntington, two dozen parents expressed concern their children's lives would be upended by changes, crushing years of academic and social progress. At least once parent threatened legal action.

"More thought needs to go into this plan," parent Moish Tov said at the forum, according to a northjersey.com story. He worried the $25-per-hour pay Volt is offering will not attract therapists accustomed to receiving twice that amount.

According to Brogan, there is already turnover in the home program from the various vendors.

"There is not a concern that there will be regression" on the students' progress, she said. "Volt has already hired about 50% of those who worked as individuals."

At the meeting, two representatives of Volt Wellness maintained they provided highly qualified staff and would be making an effort to hire all of the therapists working with students, according to the northjersey.com article.

The change is effective July 1.