Parents want special ed director out

WEST MILFORD — William Stillman was emotional as he spoke to the West Milford Board of Education Monday night. He told them he's been upset with the changes in the Special Education Services his seven-year-old daughter receives in the West Milford School District since the district hired Director of Special Services Alice Steinheimer last year. He and his wife, Cheryl, attended the meeting of the board of education, along with a group of other discontented parents, to try and block the renewal of Steinheimer's contract with the district for the upcoming school year. Unbeknownst to them, the reappointment had already been approved.

Stillman said he was told by two board members to come and speak to the board at the July 8 Special Meeting to relay his concerns. A crowd of parents joined him, many dressed in black, they said, to symbolize "the death of our Special Services Department." They found out after they got there that the reappointments were already made on May 21. No specific information about individuals was listed on that agenda; rather it was provided to the board in a separate folder. The parents, and apparently some board members, were confused that the appointments were being made on July 8 because the agenda included the individual's names and departments. Superintendent James McLaughlin explained that the appointments Monday were to approve their contracts for the upcoming year. The personnel themselves were approved in May.

A parent’s hope
Stillman talked about his daughter, Kaylee, who has cerebral palsy.

“She has a full time aid and a team of therapists and teachers who have been working with her since she was an infant and entered into early intervention," said Stillman. "The progress my daughter has made over the past seven years is unbelievable. The hard work, commitment, and dedication the people that have surrounded her is the reason for this progress.”

But he became concerned in October 2012 and said he contacted Steinheimer and Superintendent James McLaughlin because of changes he heard Steinheimer was planning to implement, changes he said would greatly affect his daughter's services and the people who provided them to her. Stillman said he was told he had nothing to worry about, that no one was losing their jobs and the program was not changing.

In the 10 months since that conversation, Stillman said his daughter's physical therapist, occupational therapist and aide "have all been forced out of the school system."

“Their hours were cut, their salary was cut, and their ability to do their jobs was being trampled on by being forced to worry more about bureaucratic politics than the well being of our children,” he said.

According to Stillman, Steinheimer told him that the staff was not forced out and that they left on their own, and denied ever talking to him regarding the letter he sent in October.

Steinheimer did not respond to the Messenger's request for comments on this story.

A disturbing experience
Then, on July 1, the Stillman’s daughter started summer school at Westbrook School in the district’s Extended Year Program for children with special needs. Stillman said he and his wife were concerned about the new start since they had no prior contact with their daughter’s new teacher, aide, or therapists, so his wife followed the bus on the first morning to make sure Kaylee was comfortable. Stillman said what his wife witnessed was upsetting to say the least: “The aide had no idea that Kaylee couldn’t walk or even how to open up the walker so it could be used. The teacher had to step in to help, and seeing all that was going on, the bus driver became very concerned as it was clear no one really knew what was going on. To compound matters, it was pouring rain out and apparently no one is allowed to pick my daughter up. This is ridiculous; she can’t walk on her own,” he said. Stillman said the aide and teacher acted in a professional manner and did their best to make his daughter comfortable.

“This could have been easily avoided had the director of Special Services made sure that these women were familiar with my daughter,” Stillman told the board. Stillman said when he contacted Steinheimer about the incident the following day, “she assured me that this did not happen; I said, ‘Alice, my wife was right there,’ and she did not have a reply.”

“I’m calling on the Board of Education to remove Alice (Steinheimer) from her position immediately and to do everything you can to reinstate Annette, Tiffany, and Alison (the previous district-contracted therapists) to their former positions.”

Parents petition for therapists' reinstatement

Parent Kelly Rockey is also upset with the recent changes made by the Special Services Department. She shared a letter she sent to Board President Dave Richards with the Messenger. In it, Rockey states that her eight-year-old son didn't receive any physical therapy for six weeks after his physical therapist suddenly resigned in April.

"I did not know the particulars at the time but have since found out that Annette (Juskiewicz) did not want to leave – she was forced to leave," said Rockey. "Alice (Steinheimer) cut her hours so drastically that it made it impossible for her to stay.”

Rockey said she started a petition asking for the reinstatement of Juskiewicz and Alison Charles and had over 212 signatures on it at the time she delivered it to the Board Office on June 21.

Tracey Menier was also in attendance to advocate for her daughter, three-year-old Ava, and speak against Steinheimer’s contract renewal. Menier's daughter was without a physical therapist from April through June 3, when a replacement was hired. Normally she would have therapy twice each week. Plus, there was the adjustment to a new therapist.

And there are more changes to come in September. Some in the preschool program for children with disabilities will be part of the district's new inclusion preschool program, some will go to Upper Greenwood Lake Elementary School and the others will remain in Maple Road. Ava will go to a new school with a new aide, new teacher and possibly a new physical therapist, according to Menier.

McLaughlin said the preschool classes were split due to ovecrowding of the programs housed at Maple Road. He said this gave the district the opportunity to provide a more convenient geographic location for families on the other side of town from Maple Road. The district has also added a learning disabilities (LD) program.

The district offered and has scheduled compensatory therapy sessions for students that will continue throughout July and into August until all sessions owed are fulfilled. A physical therapist was contracted by the district to provide those sessions. The district’s position for a staff physical therapist for the new school year starting in September remains vacant.

In a statement to the Messenger, McLaughlin said the district has reviewed its practice of using third-party contractors to provide services to students and determined it is in the best interest of the district to hire staff for occupational and physical therapy services moving forward. It was based, in part, on "the consistency of the provider in a tenure track staff position, the ability to apply the elements of the negotiated agreement between staff and the district and a significant cost savings."

As for the vacant physical therapist position, McLaughlin said they are hoping for it to be filled soon and, although they cannot guarantee who the personnel will be, he will guarantee to parents that the service will be there and the personnel will be credentialed and of high quality. With any new situation, whether it is a new staff member or a new program, he said there will be a period of time needed for a “learning curve.” He said that while they always try to have everything right for the very first day, sometimes issues arise and it is not from a lack of effort; but said that he and his staff will always be responsive to parent calls to address these issues.

(For McLaughlin's entire statement, go to westmilfordmessenger.com.)

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