CCA Statement: Corrective Action. New Haven Public Schools.

The Center for Children’s Advocacy, a statewide nonprofit legal rights organization, filed a successful complaint on behalf of multiple children and secured systemic relief for students in need of homebound or hospitalized instruction. CCA’s complaint to state education officials on behalf of New Haven Public School students was filed by CCA’s Medical Legal Partnership Project at both Yale New Haven Hospital and Yale Child Study Center.  The complaint alleged that the New Haven Public Schools violated federal and state law when it failed to provide adequate educational services to children and youth who were homebound due to a disability or medical condition or who wereplaced on homebound instruction via a Planning and Placement Team recommendation. Specifically, CCA alleged that the district: 1) failed to educate certain students at all for weeks at a time, 2) failed to provide certified teachers to deliver services, and 3) failed to monitor contracts with vendors who were paid to deliver services to disabled students. 

State officials found in favor of CCA’s clients and, in addition to ordering compensatory services to the students in the complaint, directed the following district wide corrective action see link:  

1. The district must provide training for all building and special education administrators on the rights of students to homebound instruction as outlined in state and federal law; 
2. The district must identify staff to monitor the delivery of homebound instruction, including any missed instruction owed to students; identify a pool of certified teachers and/or contracted agencies that can provide timely services to eligible students; ensure that all contracted providers who deliver instruction to students are certified teachers;ensure that district administrators are meeting regularly with teachers providing homebound instruction to ensure instruction is provided appropriately; and
3. Provide information to the state on all youth who are receiving or were to receive homebound instruction during the 2024-25 school year, a list of all applicable instructors and certification endorsements, and documentation regarding provision of required instruction.

The state will monitor New Haven Public Schools’ implementation of corrective actions and state officials specifically reserved the right to conduct further investigation of the matter where needed to protect the educational rights of students. 

To learn more about the Center for Children’s Advocacy (www.cca-ct.org) and our Educational Advocacy work, see here (Education – Center for Children’s Advocacy) and here (Health Equity / Medical Legal Partnership – Center for Children’s Advocacy).

To make a complaint or provide information about the provision of homebound/hospitalized instruction in New Haven Public Schools, please contact Jennifer.james@ct.gov.

To make a complaint about any student not receiving services they are entitled to, please see this link to the special education complaint form on the State Department of Education website.  State Complaint Form