Chicago Charter School Faces Big Trouble for Ignoring Special Needs Students

A Chicago charter school is in hot water for not taking care of its special education students. Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy, located in Little Village, has been put under strict watch by city officials. This happened after a probe found serious issues that went on for three years without being fixed. The school says the problems started when all its special education staff quit suddenly. They also mentioned how hard it is to hire people for these jobs. But the state isn't buying it. They found that some students didn't get the help they needed for their whole high school time. Others missed out on thousands of minutes of important lessons and services.Now, the school has to meet with city officials every two weeks and let them visit every month. This is to make sure they follow the rules. The school says they have fixed most of the problems now. They have hired more staff and put new systems in place. But this isn't the only charter school with these issues. Almost all the charter schools approved this spring need to improve how they help students with disabilities. The school's principal said there's a shortage of special education teachers everywhere. But he also said they have made progress and are now fully following the rules. Some teachers and staff spoke up at a recent school board meeting. They said the school has made big improvements. A social worker said they had to rebuild everything from scratch after the staff left. A special education teacher said she has seen students doing better, like one who is now passing classes and attending regularly.