City education officials announced yesterday an ambitious plan to enable the needs of a large majority of special-education students to be met by public schools by 2011.
The plan — which would begin by upgrading services at 200 schools in the coming school year — would, for the first time, let all kids with individualized education plans attend their local school — rather than limit them to schools with certain programs.
School officials said the program would put more special-education kids alongside their general-education peers and better tailor instruction to students’ needs.
They said they have yet to determine the price but added that the program was not a cost-cutting measure.
“This plan sets high expectations for children with disabilities and provides the long-term commitment necessary to help meet them,” said Laura Rodriguez, the city Department of Education’s chief achievement officer for special education and English language learners.
But some special-ed advocates were skeptical, saying they had heard similar promises before.
“Unless and until there’s some actual movement, my whole approach is ‘Prove it to me,’ ” said Ellen McHugh, of Parent to Parent.
