There are myths that have grown up around school systems that are not deserved. One primary myth is that schools are altruistic organizations that have children’s needs at the top of the agenda. Instead, schools are tough self-interested political bureaucracies where children’s interests often do not top the agenda, and sometimes it is hard to discern where on the agenda children fit at all. I recognize and appreciate the vital role that schools play in our society and the devotion of so many teachers, staff and administrators across the country. School systems, however, should not be afforded immunity which does not allow real scrutiny. Their actions and omissions should not enjoy presumptive validity–a premise of the Shaffer case where the Supreme Court found IEPs to be presumptively valid. The following post will be part of an ongoing series to hold school systems up to the scrutiny they deserve when in too many instances they just behave badly.
