http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_63675.asp
An Atlanta law firm that specializes nationwide in special education cases has charged the Hamilton County Schools over $1.7 million on a single case that is still ongoing.
The bill thus far from the Charles Weatherly law firm in the Deal autism case is at $1,742,636. Total taxpayer cost of the lawsuit is over $2.3 million counting pay for expert witnesses.
County Commissioner Larry Henry said he was advised the case could have been settled initially for $150,000, though county school officials deny that.
The same Atlanta law firm billed the Ravenswood School District in San Jose, Calif., $2.1 million at a time when the district was going bankrupt, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
article continues at link (it just keeps getting worse)
Re: Atlanta Law Firm Charges To County Schools Top $1.7 Million
The thing that really hit home when I read that article was that parents just can’t fight on that level. Parents really have no chance of winning when school districts go to those lengths. And of course, one can imagine the services might be very poor in a district so grossly mismanaged. I can’t believe they can’t fire that superintendent!!!!
Janis
This just turns my stomach…the amount of $$ being spent on attorneys. Some kids are getting cadillac educations of $100K plus a year when they prevail in due process, so I just wonder what the attorneys are getting???
Where is it going to stop because the escalting costs are breaking special education in not only funds but in burnout of teachers that have gone through the due process mill.