Rhode Island
Middletown Case Heard
On May 21, 1991, a hearing officer with the Rhode Island Department of Education heard the appeal of a Middletown family who had been denied the right to teach their two children at home by their local School Committee. Appearing at the hearing in Providence on behalf of the family were HSLDA attorneys Michael P. Farris and Dewitt T. Black, III. They were assisted in the case by Daniel T. Carrillo, a Rhode Island attorney from Warwick.
The School Committee's denial of the family's application to home educate their children was based partly upon a finding that the proposed curriculum was “inadequate and cursory.” The disapproval was also based upon the parents' refusal to disclose how or where their children were educated last year and their refusal to permit testing of their children.
Evidence presented at the hearing by the family proved that their curriculum met state requirements, while the School Committee offered no evidence specifying in what respects the curriculum was found to be inadequate and cursory. Although the family maintains that how or where the children were educated last year is irrelevant to their request for approval this year, they voluntarily provided this information to the hearing officer as an indication of their spirit of cooperation.
Both children have been identified as having dyslexia, an impairment of the ability to read. However, HSLDA presented testimony from witnesses at the hearing that, in addition to being taught by their parents, the children also receive tutorial instruction four times a week from a reading specialist trained to assist dyslexic children in overcoming this learning disability. The reading specialist testified that the conventional testing sought by the School Committee was not the appropriate method of determining the academic progress of children with dyslexia. The children also receive instruction from a math tutor on a weekly basis.
It is difficult to imagine how these children could receive a better education in the public school system, considering the quality of instruction being provided to them at home. However, the hearing officer has taken this matter under advisement and will be rendering a decision in the near future. In the meantime, we appreciate the prayers of our members on behalf of this family.
