Request Denied, But Autistic Child's Parents Continue Fight

Tony and Mary Brandenburg’s request for an external investigation of the Pasadena Unified School District has been denied; the Brandenburgs had alleged that the Board of Education members--plus PUSD and staff--violated numerous policies when it came to their eight-year-old autistic son’s education.

However, the Board of Ed has directed Superintendent Jon Gundry to work with the Brandenburgs to “address their specific concerns related to their child’s education at Sierra Madre School,” according to Renatta Cooper, Board of Ed President.

“Although I appreciate Gundry's attempts, he's trying to clean up a mess he really wasn't involved in,” Mary Brandenburg told Patch. The couple still plans to pursue an investigation of the PUSD to, as they describe it, “shine a light on what [the] PUSD continues hiding, as it impacts many students.”

The Brandenburgs are looking for a civil rights attorney and have filed a new complaint with the Office of Civil Rights.

“[Our son] continues to be segregated from his age peers and denied access to music class,” said Mary Brandenburg.

What did the Brandenburgs want investigated?

The couple pulled their 8-year-old autistic son out of Sierra Madre School just 27 days after the start of the 2010 school year to homeschool him. Here’s a partial list of the Brandenburgs’ complaints,

• That behavioral reports filed regarding their son did not follow district protocol;
• That PUSD employees knowingly altered records, created false documents and made false statements relating to their son;
• That PUSD staff withheld, and are still withholding, public documents about their son;
• That a board member discussed confidential business relating to their son outside of an official board meeting;
• That a board member actively planned and participated in a meeting with a group of Sierra Madre School parents regarding their son. The Brandenburgs allege that this falls outside of the Board’s duties.
• The PUSD made significant changes to their son’s educational program without their consent.

The Brandenburgs previously filed a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights, who conducted its own investigation. No wrongdoing was found. The Brandenburgs insist the entire process was flawed and involved fraud.

“OCR was looking for very specific violations involving bullying and harassment. The violations of confidentiality and withholding of docs by Honowitz were not investigated,” said Mary Brandenburg.

The PUSD looked into the issue internally and insists that everything it did fell  within the boundaries of the law.

“Every action that I took was certainly in accordance with ensuring the confidentially that all parents are accorded under law and was appropriate in relation to the issues that were at the school site,” Honowitz said previously.

Honowitz recently told the Pasadena Star-News that he “recused himself from closed session meetings on their request.” However, the Brandenburgs say they never requested that of him.

The Brandenburgs’ son school year and is now in a special education class with older children.

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