Parents of Autistic Students Sue School District of Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Four parents are taking the School District of Philadelphia to court, claiming the district is illegally transferring autistic students among schools.
Not every Philadelphia school has autism support classes for every grade. So, the Philadelphia School District transfers students with autism every three years to schools that have those classes for those grade levels.
But a federal class-action suit claims that's illegal because autistic students are forced to transfer schools while students without autism are not.
Sonja Kerr, an attorney with the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, filed the suit. She says the plaintiffs want a list of autism support classes, and they want parental input into any transfers.
"We suspect a lot of parents out there just don't even know that they can object to their child just being summarily transferred without anybody really thinking it through," she told KYW Newsradio today.
A spokeswoman for the district said the district was preparing a statement in response to the suit.
Reported by Mike DeNardo, KYW Newsradio 1060
