Parents Ask to Intervene on Behalf of Special-Needs Children in Suit Against Colorado Springs School District
January 27, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dan Burrows (press@publictrustinstitute.org)
Parents Ask to Intervene on Behalf of Special-Needs Children in Suit Against Colorado Springs School District
District 11 Wants to Shut Down School for Children with Dyslexia, Simply Because School Is Outside the District’s Control
The mothers of five special-needs children enrolled at Orton Academy, a school on the east side of Colorado Springs, have filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit against Colorado Springs School District 11.
Orton Academy is a public school that opened in the fall of 2020 to cater to children with dyslexia who have not been adequately served by other public school options. The District objects to Orton Academy’s operations because it is located within the District’s boundaries.
Under Colorado law, a child has the right to attend any school that meets their educational needs, regardless of which district the school is in.
The parents are being represented by the Public Trust Institute, a Lakewood-based non-profit organization that promotes open, accountable government. PTI provides free legal representation in lawsuits challenging unconstitutional or otherwise illegal acts by Colorado governments.
All of the parents represented by PTI say they have seen significant improvements in their children’s academic performance since leaving their previous schools. Danielle Babb is one of those parents. “The District should be happy there’s a school like this. Last year, my daughter went six months without any help from a speech pathologist in Colorado Springs schools. They don’t have the resources to provide the specialized education that Orton Academy does,” Babb said.
Dan Burrows, the Public Trust Institute’s legal director, expanded on Babb’s comments. “This is solely about money and power for the school district, when it should be about the fact that children with learning disabilities are finally getting an adequate education centered around their unique way of learning. District 11’s focus should be on what is best for students, not on their power
over the day-to-day decisions of Orton Academy.”
The Academy is operated by the Colorado Literacy and Learning Center under a contract with the Education Reenvisioned BOCES. Education Reenvisioned is a “board of cooperative education services”—essentially, a governmental agency that is a cooperative effort between several school districts to provide services that each of the districts would have difficulty providing on their own. Members include Pikes Peak Community College and several school districts throughout the state.