NYT Accuses Chasidic Schools of Exploiting Special Education Funding
The New York Times has accused Chasidic schools in New York of exploiting special education funding, using it for other purposes instead of providing services to those who need it. Private companies serving Chasidic and Orthodox schools are now collecting more than $350 million a year for special education services, often without providing the services or even needing them. The Times’ report is the latest in a series of stories that have sparked intense debate between advocates of reforming the yeshivas and the Chasidic community • Full Story
By Chabadinfo Reporter
The New York Times has recently published an article accusing Chasidic schools in New York of exploiting a policy designed to make special education more widely available, redirecting public funding for other purposes.
Private companies serving these schools are said to be collecting over $350 million a year in government money for special education services that are not always needed or provided, according to the Times, citing government data. These yeshivos have reportedly urged parents to obtain medical prescriptions for disabilities and apply for aid on behalf of their children.
The Times also reported that of the 18,000 applications for special education services filed by families last year, more than half came from districts with large Chasidic and Orthodox communities, such as Williamsburg, Borough Park, and Crown Heights.
The latest article explains that a policy shift unlocking a wave of funding for special education was enacted in 2014 by then-Mayor Bill de Blasio, who ordered that the city fast-track approvals.
One such company, started two months after de Blasio’s order by a young married Orthodox couple with almost no experience in education, has collected more than $38 million from the program this year, according to the Times. The newspaper also found evidence that companies providing special education services for private schools in turn make donations to the yeshivas that steer students their way.
The deluge in special education requests has not been accompanied by increased oversight, with officials interviewed by the Times stating that most requests are simply waved through an overburdened and underfunded system.
School officials and representatives of the special education companies said in statements to the Times that they have operated according to the rules and that independent evaluators and government supervision ensure that only students who actually have special needs are being enrolled in the program. The school officials also denied that they have pressured families to seek out unnecessary diagnoses.
This report is the latest in a series by the Times on yeshivas, which have sparked anger among Charedi leaders and support from advocates for improving secular education at these private religious schools.
Many Chasidic Jews have taken to social media to attack the Times’ reporting as defamatory and have accused the newspaper of placing undue scrutiny on the Chasidic community out of bigotry or political considerations. Advocates for reforming yeshiva education, meanwhile, have defended the Times’ investigations as a necessary step toward forcing the schools to change.
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