Implementation of Public Law 94-142 as It Relates to Handicapped Delinquents in the District of Columbia

Gao ID: GGD-86-4 October 17, 1985

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the District of Columbia's (D.C.) implementation of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, which pertains to learning-disabled and emotionally disturbed juvenile delinquents and requires that education and services for handicapped children be delineated in individualized education programs (IEP).

GAO found that D.C. is not meeting its commitments under the act because: (1) many handicapped delinquents are not given opportunities for special education; (2) IEP do not meet all the requirements of the act; and (3) most handicapped delinquents in Youth Services Administration (YSA) custody do not receive special education. In order to be in compliance, IEP must contain certain educational and procedural requirements against which to monitor juvenile education and guardian participation in IEP. About 73 percent of IEP are missing these requirements. The "Mills Decree" court decision also requires that assessment, IEP development, and placement of handicapped juveniles be completed within a maximum of 60 calendar days from the date of referral; however, the central facility which performs these assessments averages 117 days. Three YSA facilities do not provide special education to handicapped delinquents and none of the teachers are certified to teach any subject. In addition, these facilities have no criteria and do not follow public school standards for determining which delinquents are handicapped. GAO also found that, although the D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) are required to monitor program effectiveness, they are not adequately reporting problems or corrective actions for the facilities. GAO believes that there is no focal point for coordination and information exchange among DCPS, the D.C. Superior Court, and YSA for identifying and educating delinquents.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

Director: J. William Gadsby Team: General Accounting Office: General Government Division Phone: (202) 275-8387


The Justia Government Accountability Office site republishes public reports retrieved from the U.S. GAO These reports should not be considered official, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Justia.