Mom wants Chicago Public Schools to stop sending kids to New York special ed boarding school, claims abuse
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago mom is speaking out, calling on Chicago Public Schools to stop sending kids to a Westchester County, New York boarding school for students with autism.
The CBS News Chicago Investigators have discovered that the school, Shrub Oak, has been investigated for reports of abuse and neglect. Yet, the Chicago Public Schools continue sending kids there.
"There are kids that are nonverbal, that can't speak for themselves, and that is very upsetting," said Joanna Grenrock, the mother of a former Shrub Oak student.
Grenrock was excited to send her then-21-year-old daughter, Zoe, to Shrub Oak International School in Mohegan Lake, New York, about an hour north of Manhattan, in February 2023.
Zoe has autism and a rare genetic disorder. She is verbal.
"She can become aggressive and behavioral, and that's one of the reasons that we wanted to send her to such a specialized school," said Grenrock.
The Chicago Public Schools, like many public-school districts across the country, has a "residential placement agreement" with the boarding school.
The annual cost per student at Shrub Oak will cause a double take—more than $573,000 per student per year, funded by taxpayers. At that price, Zoe's family expected it to be a dream come true.
But Grenrock said she became very concerned with Zoe's education, and even her treatment at the school.
"She had bruises all over her arms," Grenrock said.
It started when Zoe was repeatedly administered the wrong medication. But the worst was in October 2023, when she was struck in the head by a staff member—who was later arrested and charged in the incident.
"He, in front of the classroom of a lot of people, tried to throw a desk at my child," Grenrock said.
Grenrock said she was not notified until more than a day later.
A letter dated Jan. 18, 2024, from the Chicago Public Schools also shows that Shrub Oak failed to notify the school district of the incident within 24 hours—as they were required to do.
"It did exacerbate her challenges," Grenrock said.
It turns out Shrub Oak has been at the center of abuse and neglect allegations from students all over the country. CBS News Chicago has confirmed that Disability Rights New York initiated an investigation.
Meanwhile, officials in at least three other states—Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Washington State, have advised districts against sending kids there, according to a ProPublica investigation.
"I told CPS that they need to stop sending kids to the school and paying $600,000 for unqualified babysitters," said Grenrock.
But since Zoe's family pulled her out of the school in December 2023, CBS News Chicago has confirmed that yet another CPS student is leaving for Shrub Oak in the next few weeks.
When CBS News Chicago reached out, Chicago Public Schools would not respond to our specific questions about Zoe's case.
In a statement, a spokesperson said their staff members were given a tour of Shrub Oak in January, at which time CPS felt comfortable maintaining its contract.
"Honestly, I cannot believe CPS is sending another student there," said Grenrock. "It is horrifying to us."
Shrub Oak has not responded to CBS News Chicago's requests for comment about the allegations made by Zoe and her family.
The Illinois State Board of Education said that because Shrub Oak is not a state-approved facility, it has no oversight over these allegations.
CPS sent a lengthy statement detailing why it feels comfortable continuing to send students there.
"The safety and wellbeing of students is a top priority for Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The District follows all State and District policies and guidelines as it places students in facilities outside of Chicago or the State, working to ensure these facilities meet a comprehensive set of criteria and standards which are maintained during placement to best serve CPS students. The District also works hand-in-hand with families to identify placement(s) that are able to meet the students' individualized educational needs. When there is an issue or concern, we work closely with all parties—the placement facility and families—to support the safety and well being of CPS students."
It was explained that an individualized education program, or IEP, team determines if a student with disabilities needs to be in a residential setting, CPS makes every effort to find such a facility within Illinois—but there are very few such programs in Illinois, and those that do exist have long waitlists.
Thus, while CPS must make efforts to find a facility approved by the Illinois State Board of Education, students with almost any disability sometimes end up in residential programs outside Illinois.
Such out-of-state programs require detailed documentation from those programs—including information about staff credentials and qualifications, background reports for all employees, information about curriculum, and other information. In the case of Shrub Oak, information was provided to CPS that it completed background checks for every employee—including federal, national, and state criminal checks and sex offender checks.
Further, the CPS Office for Students with Disabilities regularly reviews its oversight of out-of-state residential facilities—including requirements that they report the use of timeouts and physical restraint, and any form of abuse.
In January, CPS was given a comprehensive tour of the Shrub Oak school and student residences and introduced to all employees—with information how they each supported specific student needs. Afterward, CPS decided it would maintain its contract with Shrub Oak, but followed up verbally and in writing with a letter reminding Shrub Oak of the terms of its contract with CPS—and emphasizing that CPS should be contacted immediately in the event of a suspected abuse incident.