School officials face possible contempt

Judge warns schools for special education failures

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BALTIMORE, Maryland (AP) -- City school officials could face penalties for contempt if they keep failing to provide overdue special education services such as speech therapy and counseling, a federal judge said.

About 9,000 students were supposed to receive those services last school year, but an effort to make up the work during the summer helped only 300, according to the court order issued last week by U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis.

The Baltimore school system has cited the lack of qualified staff as among reasons for not providing the legally required services. The system tried to hire an outside firm this school year, but Garbis rejected the $4 million contract as being too expensive.

Garbis is presiding over a 1984 lawsuit that alleges the city and state have failed to adequately educate students with disabilities as mandated by federal law.

Garbis's order outlined a timetable the system must follow to avoid "most serious consequences." By Monday, for example, the school system must submit a report identifying the number of students in need of special education counseling and other services.

The court order issued last week doesn't mention specific penalties for contempt of court, but they can include jail time or fines.

On Wednesday, Governor Robert Ehrlich expressed outrage at the mounting legal fees over the lawsuit. But school board chairman Brian Morris said politicians were "grandstanding" over the issue.

"We're not going to run this school system based on some politicians' polling data," Morris said.