Welcome to CASE

Evanston Citizens for Appropriate Special Education (CASE) provides parents with an organized voice and educates the public and school board about problems in the D65 special services system. We are parents, staff and community members dedicated to improving the range, quality and availability of services for children with special needs in Evanston.

Special Education policies and procedures in D65 have been inappropriate, inadequate and have sometimes violated the law. CASE takes action when necessary to influence the school board and administration to improve services for students with special needs.

CASE is working to empower parents standing up for their right to appropriate services for their children.

Join us!
Contact Cari Levin LCSW, founding director, at info@evanstoncase.org or 847-556-8676.

As CASE expands, we need lots of help. Please join one or more committees if you have time and energy to offer:

Legal Research Committee
Research questions regarding special education law and state regulations

Community Outreach Committee
Develop collaborative relationships with other organizations, PTA's, political leaders, etc.

Membership / Fundraising Committee
Work to increase diversity in CASE membership and develop resources for funding

Media / Public Relations Committee
Write articles and press releases to educate the community about special education issues

Website / Printed Material Management Committee
Manage and write website content, brochures, and printed material

Upcoming Events

Town Hall Meetings

CASE is working with the District 65 school board to ensure their 5-Year Strategic Plan gives sufficient attention to special education.

We applaud the Administration's stated goal of "inclusion and integration" for students with special needs -- and CASE is working to ensure this goal is adequately addressed in the Strategic Plan.

The Board and Administration are hosting Town Hall meetings where the public can comment on the Strategic Plan. CASE submitted the following list of recommendations to the Board at the first of these meetings on October 17th:

CASE Recommendations to D65 Board

We encourage you to attend a meeting to express your views on the plan. The remaining Town Hall meetings will be held on:
- Wednesday, Oct. 22nd at Haven School, 7 pm
- Tuesday, Oct. 28th at Chute School, 7 pm
- Thursday, Oct. 30th at King Lab School, at 7 pm

Here is the latest draft of the Strategic Plan Draft that the School Board is evaluating right now:
District 65 Strategic Plan Draft - Sept. 13 Revision

CASE Successfully Influences the Administration and School Board to Revise Its Proposed Policy

During the summer the District 65 Policy Committee and the School Board discussed the addition of a new policy to allow the use of "physical restraint and isolated time-out" in our schools. Evanston Citizens for Appropriate Special Education (CASE) was very concerned about this policy and the implications for children with disabilities in our community. Our members wrote emails to the school board and the policy committee members, and attended the policy committee meeting to suggest revisions. Although the District had been using physical restraint and isolated time out methods with students for years, they did not have a policy in place to regulate and oversee this practice (as required by state law).

Evanston CASE was instrumental in advocating for revisions to the proposed policy. The initial draft did not address the implications of physical restraint and isolated time out for children with special needs. There was no mention of procedures to protect them from unauthorized use of these methods. CASE advocated for safeguards that limited these interventions for use only if documented in a child's IEP or Behavior Intervention Plan, and with parent approval. In addition, isolated time-out can only be used in schools that have state-approved time-out rooms.

CASE also insisted that training in approved physical restraint and isolated time out methods should be mandatory for all special education staff. The initial draft policy called for voluntary participation in training. The revised policy states that "all full-time staff assigned to provide direct services to students with Emotional Disabilities are required to be certified in the use of positive non-aversive behavioral interventions."

CASE also requested that data on the use of physical restraint and isolated time out, including number of incidents, location, and staff members involved be reported to the Board of Education, not just the "Superintendent and or his/her designee."

We continue to be concerned about these methods of behavioral intervention. We trust that they will be used sparingly, appropriately and by trained staff.

CASE Submits Recommendations to D65 Board

CASE presented a set of recommendations to the School Board at their regular meeting on June 23rd. Developed out of our review of documented complaints as well as information discussed at recent Board meetings, we believe these actions will be a good start toward improving special services in District 65.

Background and detail on each of these recommendations is included in the attached document.