Re: OT: School Lawyer Caught Making Fun of Special Ed. Kids

[Guest guest]

What is wrong with this world? This man should be ashamed of himself and be

kicked off the board! I wonder if he would find humor in an IEP meeting for his

own child! I have a few more choice words for him but I can not post.

Gosh, reading this just got me so angry!

Liz in N.H.

sawyersailor <sawyera@...> wrote:

Subject: OT: School Lawyer Mocks SpEd Children, Parents at the

Conference

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37482-2004Mar30.html

Parents See No Humor In Skit on Special-Ed

Montgomery Official Performed at Conclave

By Perlstein

Washington Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, March 31, 2004; Page B01

Zvi Greismann knocked 'em dead last year at a national conference on

special education law.

In a satirical " newscast " at the conference's gala, Greismann, senior

attorney for special education in the Montgomery County public

schools, joked that Cuisinart has come up with the Due Processor,

which " shreds, dices, cuts, blends, frappes and otherwise destroys "

unwanted applications for due process hearings, where schooling

disputes are resolved.

Showing a photo of elated children, he said, " In Boulder, Colorado, a

group of students took to the streets in celebration of their due

process victory, where the judges awarded them new sets of parents. "

With a Madden display of arrows and circles, he gave a play-by-

play of how a school system used its skill to deny a family the

placement sought for a child.

The skit of inside jokes was greeted by abundant laughter at the

National Institute on Legal Issues of Educating Children With

Disabilities, a conference in San Francisco attended mostly by

lawyers who represent school systems. Now Greismann faces a chorus of

boos from local parents who, having watched a tape of the

performance, feel it mocked their families and their struggles.

" I was horrified, " said Marcie Roth of Rockville. " It made me feel

awful that a roomful of people were having a good laugh at something

that my family and I have found so difficult. "

Seeing a meeting for a student's individualized education plan (IEP)

portrayed as a sports play-by-play riled Selene of

Rockville. " It just confirmed my feeling of what we went through in

Montgomery County, " she said. " You always felt after an IEP meeting

they must be laughing their tushes off. "

Negotiating special services is sometimes an adversarial process

between parents and school systems. Conference organizers defended

Greismann's talk as a lighthearted diversion with no intent to

insult. It was a small part of a large conference aimed at " how best

to serve kids in special education, " said Claude Werder, a vice

president of LRP Publications, which presented the conference.

Most parents interviewed for this article said there is no place for

public humor about special education, particularly not from someone

who handles their children's cases, someone identified on the program

as a Montgomery public schools attorney and, as the school system

confirmed, attending the conference on a paid professional leave day.

Greismann said yesterday, " Because some people have filed formal

complaints that might result in litigation, I don't believe it would

be proper for me to comment right now. " In a report that aired Monday

on 630 WMAL, Greismann said, " There is a lighter side to anything.

Anyone who attends any kind of professional conference, I believe

there is probably humor in any arena. "

Bartels, the school system's director of special education, and

system spokesman Porter said they would not comment on

Greismann's " activities outside the workday, " as Porter put it. In a

March 4 letter to the school board after parents began complaining,

Superintendent Jerry D. Weast did not address last year's conference

but said that at the coming one, Greismann " is presenting his own

views, not those of Montgomery County Public Schools. "

Parents had ordered a videotape of the event after seeing a repeat

performance of Greismann's " irreverent anecdotes " advertised in a

brochure for the May 2004 conference in Orlando. Some got teary over

the jokes, including goals for special-ed students derived by

the " National Association of Underachieving Smartypants Educators and

Administrators, " or NAUSEA: " You will complete the entire homework

assignment without your parents' help " and " You will sit in your seat

with your big fat mouth shut for at least five minutes without

attacking anyone. "

Conference organizers Werder and Melinda Baird, a Knoxville, Tenn.,

lawyer who represents school systems, said Greismann was mainly

taking aim at bureaucracies. Baird said, " I don't think Zvi for one

moment was trying to be insulting to parents or children with

disabilities. . . . I'm sorry that anybody was offended. "

Porter said that Greismann would have his Montgomery County

identification removed from publicity materials for the event in May

and that the talk would focus on the federal No Child Left Behind Act

instead of special education. As of yesterday, that was not Werder's

impression.

" As far as I'm concerned, it really hasn't changed. . . . The whole

idea is another satirical look, " Werder said.

--- End forwarded message ---

[Guest guest]

Ok, I've got to jump in here because I feel the intent of the lawyer

was lost. He was obviously being satirical - the same way

Swift did not intend children to be served as food in his famous

essay " A Modest Proposal " (see link http://art-

bin.com/art/omodest.html) It is one of the strongest tools available

to use when making a point. One of the students I tutored had to

write a satirical essay based on Swift's work for her English class,

but she did double duty and used it in her Debate Club. Perhaps this

man should have realized his audience was extremely touchy, but

unless I read this wrong, he's an advocate for SPED kids. He wasn't

picking on the kids in any way (from what the article reported) but

on how very corrupt the system was - and because it hit so many

nerves, it's apparent that he probably wasn't too far off from what

so many have experienced.

How would it have been taken if it were a parent up there doing

EXACTLY the same " skit " ? Probably wouldn't have ruffled feathers.

Just because a person's not a parent of a SPED kid doesn't mean they

can't be angry or empathize. I just think we should focus our

energies on the REAL injustices and the REAL insults.

Just my opinion -

Marina

> Subject: OT: School Lawyer Mocks SpEd Children, Parents at the

> Conference

>

> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37482-2004Mar30.html

>

> Parents See No Humor In Skit on Special-Ed

> Montgomery Official Performed at Conclave

> By Perlstein

> Washington Post Staff Writer

> Wednesday, March 31, 2004; Page B01

>

> Zvi Greismann knocked 'em dead last year at a national conference on

> special education law.

>

> In a satirical " newscast " at the conference's gala, Greismann,

senior

> attorney for special education in the Montgomery County public

> schools, joked that Cuisinart has come up with the Due Processor,

> which " shreds, dices, cuts, blends, frappes and otherwise destroys "

> unwanted applications for due process hearings, where schooling

> disputes are resolved.

>

> Showing a photo of elated children, he said, " In Boulder, Colorado,

a

> group of students took to the streets in celebration of their due

> process victory, where the judges awarded them new sets of parents. "

> With a Madden display of arrows and circles, he gave a play-by-

> play of how a school system used its skill to deny a family the

> placement sought for a child.

>

> The skit of inside jokes was greeted by abundant laughter at the

> National Institute on Legal Issues of Educating Children With

> Disabilities, a conference in San Francisco attended mostly by

> lawyers who represent school systems. Now Greismann faces a chorus

of

> boos from local parents who, having watched a tape of the

> performance, feel it mocked their families and their struggles.

>

> " I was horrified, " said Marcie Roth of Rockville. " It made me feel

> awful that a roomful of people were having a good laugh at something

> that my family and I have found so difficult. "

>

> Seeing a meeting for a student's individualized education plan (IEP)

> portrayed as a sports play-by-play riled Selene of

> Rockville. " It just confirmed my feeling of what we went through in

> Montgomery County, " she said. " You always felt after an IEP meeting

> they must be laughing their tushes off. "

>

> Negotiating special services is sometimes an adversarial process

> between parents and school systems. Conference organizers defended

> Greismann's talk as a lighthearted diversion with no intent to

> insult. It was a small part of a large conference aimed at " how best

> to serve kids in special education, " said Claude Werder, a vice

> president of LRP Publications, which presented the conference.

>

> Most parents interviewed for this article said there is no place for

> public humor about special education, particularly not from someone

> who handles their children's cases, someone identified on the

program

> as a Montgomery public schools attorney and, as the school system

> confirmed, attending the conference on a paid professional leave

day.

>

> Greismann said yesterday, " Because some people have filed formal

> complaints that might result in litigation, I don't believe it would

> be proper for me to comment right now. " In a report that aired

Monday

> on 630 WMAL, Greismann said, " There is a lighter side to anything.

> Anyone who attends any kind of professional conference, I believe

> there is probably humor in any arena. "

>

> Bartels, the school system's director of special education,

and

> system spokesman Porter said they would not comment on

> Greismann's " activities outside the workday, " as Porter put it. In a

> March 4 letter to the school board after parents began complaining,

> Superintendent Jerry D. Weast did not address last year's conference

> but said that at the coming one, Greismann " is presenting his own

> views, not those of Montgomery County Public Schools. "

>

> Parents had ordered a videotape of the event after seeing a repeat

> performance of Greismann's " irreverent anecdotes " advertised in a

> brochure for the May 2004 conference in Orlando. Some got teary over

> the jokes, including goals for special-ed students derived by

> the " National Association of Underachieving Smartypants Educators

and

> Administrators, " or NAUSEA: " You will complete the entire homework

> assignment without your parents' help " and " You will sit in your

seat

> with your big fat mouth shut for at least five minutes without

> attacking anyone. "

>

> Conference organizers Werder and Melinda Baird, a Knoxville, Tenn.,

> lawyer who represents school systems, said Greismann was mainly

> taking aim at bureaucracies. Baird said, " I don't think Zvi for one

> moment was trying to be insulting to parents or children with

> disabilities. . . . I'm sorry that anybody was offended. "

>

> Porter said that Greismann would have his Montgomery County

> identification removed from publicity materials for the event in May

> and that the talk would focus on the federal No Child Left Behind

Act

> instead of special education. As of yesterday, that was not Werder's

> impression.

>

> " As far as I'm concerned, it really hasn't changed. . . . The whole

> idea is another satirical look, " Werder said.

[Guest guest]

Read it again. He is a lawyer representing the school district. He is not

an advocate for special ed children and his audience was other lawyers just

like him. Parents of Special Ed. children were not in attendance. They

found out about his " skit " later when they viewed a video of it. He doesn't

represent parents or their special needs children, he represents the school

district. When parents go into Due Process hearings, he is there on behalf

of the school district to defeat them. This conference was intended to

teach other school lawyers the " tricks of the trade " in how to win due

process hearings and the like. As a lawyer, I've been to plenty " training

seminars " . Prosecutors go to their seminars to learn how to convict

criminal of various crimes, just as defense attorneys go to " Defense

Seminars " to learn how to get a " Not Guilty " verdict for their clients.

-KIM

OT: School Lawyer Mocks SpEd Children, Parents at the

> > Conference

> >

> > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37482-2004Mar30.html

> >

> > Parents See No Humor In Skit on Special-Ed

> > Montgomery Official Performed at Conclave

> > By Perlstein

> > Washington Post Staff Writer

> > Wednesday, March 31, 2004; Page B01

> >

> > Zvi Greismann knocked 'em dead last year at a national conference on

> > special education law.

> >

> > In a satirical " newscast " at the conference's gala, Greismann,

> senior

> > attorney for special education in the Montgomery County public

> > schools, joked that Cuisinart has come up with the Due Processor,

> > which " shreds, dices, cuts, blends, frappes and otherwise destroys "

> > unwanted applications for due process hearings, where schooling

> > disputes are resolved.

> >

> > Showing a photo of elated children, he said, " In Boulder, Colorado,

> a

> > group of students took to the streets in celebration of their due

> > process victory, where the judges awarded them new sets of parents. "

> > With a Madden display of arrows and circles, he gave a play-by-

> > play of how a school system used its skill to deny a family the

> > placement sought for a child.

> >

> > The skit of inside jokes was greeted by abundant laughter at the

> > National Institute on Legal Issues of Educating Children With

> > Disabilities, a conference in San Francisco attended mostly by

> > lawyers who represent school systems. Now Greismann faces a chorus

> of

> > boos from local parents who, having watched a tape of the

> > performance, feel it mocked their families and their struggles.

> >

> > " I was horrified, " said Marcie Roth of Rockville. " It made me feel

> > awful that a roomful of people were having a good laugh at something

> > that my family and I have found so difficult. "

> >

> > Seeing a meeting for a student's individualized education plan (IEP)

> > portrayed as a sports play-by-play riled Selene of

> > Rockville. " It just confirmed my feeling of what we went through in

> > Montgomery County, " she said. " You always felt after an IEP meeting

> > they must be laughing their tushes off. "

> >

> > Negotiating special services is sometimes an adversarial process

> > between parents and school systems. Conference organizers defended

> > Greismann's talk as a lighthearted diversion with no intent to

> > insult. It was a small part of a large conference aimed at " how best

> > to serve kids in special education, " said Claude Werder, a vice

> > president of LRP Publications, which presented the conference.

> >

> > Most parents interviewed for this article said there is no place for

> > public humor about special education, particularly not from someone

> > who handles their children's cases, someone identified on the

> program

> > as a Montgomery public schools attorney and, as the school system

> > confirmed, attending the conference on a paid professional leave

> day.

> >

> > Greismann said yesterday, " Because some people have filed formal

> > complaints that might result in litigation, I don't believe it would

> > be proper for me to comment right now. " In a report that aired

> Monday

> > on 630 WMAL, Greismann said, " There is a lighter side to anything.

> > Anyone who attends any kind of professional conference, I believe

> > there is probably humor in any arena. "

> >

> > Bartels, the school system's director of special education,

> and

> > system spokesman Porter said they would not comment on

> > Greismann's " activities outside the workday, " as Porter put it. In a

> > March 4 letter to the school board after parents began complaining,

> > Superintendent Jerry D. Weast did not address last year's conference

> > but said that at the coming one, Greismann " is presenting his own

> > views, not those of Montgomery County Public Schools. "

> >

> > Parents had ordered a videotape of the event after seeing a repeat

> > performance of Greismann's " irreverent anecdotes " advertised in a

> > brochure for the May 2004 conference in Orlando. Some got teary over

> > the jokes, including goals for special-ed students derived by

> > the " National Association of Underachieving Smartypants Educators

> and

> > Administrators, " or NAUSEA: " You will complete the entire homework

> > assignment without your parents' help " and " You will sit in your

> seat

> > with your big fat mouth shut for at least five minutes without

> > attacking anyone. "

> >

> > Conference organizers Werder and Melinda Baird, a Knoxville, Tenn.,

> > lawyer who represents school systems, said Greismann was mainly

> > taking aim at bureaucracies. Baird said, " I don't think Zvi for one

> > moment was trying to be insulting to parents or children with

> > disabilities. . . . I'm sorry that anybody was offended. "

> >

> > Porter said that Greismann would have his Montgomery County

> > identification removed from publicity materials for the event in May

> > and that the talk would focus on the federal No Child Left Behind

> Act

> > instead of special education. As of yesterday, that was not Werder's

> > impression.

> >

> > " As far as I'm concerned, it really hasn't changed. . . . The whole

> > idea is another satirical look, " Werder said.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

You're right - my bad.

That'll teach me to read slower!

> Read it again. He is a lawyer representing the school district.

He is not

> an advocate for special ed children and his audience was other

lawyers just

> like him. Parents of Special Ed. children were not in attendance.

They

> found out about his " skit " later when they viewed a video of it.

He doesn't

> represent parents or their special needs children, he represents

the school

> district. When parents go into Due Process hearings, he is there

on behalf

> of the school district to defeat them. This conference was

intended to

> teach other school lawyers the " tricks of the trade " in how to win

due

> process hearings and the like. As a lawyer, I've been to

plenty " training

> seminars " . Prosecutors go to their seminars to learn how to convict

> criminal of various crimes, just as defense attorneys go to " Defense

> Seminars " to learn how to get a " Not Guilty " verdict for their

clients.

> -KIM

>

>

[Guest guest]

No problem. :-) KIM

> You're right - my bad.

>

> That'll teach me to read slower!

>