After only one day of testimony before an administrative law judge, the parents of an autistic student withdrew their complaint against Lake Orion Community Schools.
Mark and Pam Kroll’s son, Hayden, returned to the district’s autistic program on Monday, April 20, after a settlement was reached on Friday.
Hayden had been attending a costly program in Southfield the past four months. The Krolls? believed the district should bear some of the financial burden because the Lake Orion special education program didn’t offer proper autistic instruction.
In the end, an agreement was reached out of sight from the judge.
‘We were approached by the parents who asked to withdraw their due process complaint,? said Superintendent Ken Gutman.
The hearing was scheduled to go on for nine days, with a decision from the judge to come in mid-summer. Instead, it lasted just three, with most of the negotiating occurring behind the scenes, much of which involved how best to get Hayden back into Lake Orion schools.
‘We created a plan to transition their son back to the district,? Gutman said. ‘We are excited that he is going to start school on Monday (April 21) and we will continue to educate him the way we always have, which is with his best interests in mind. We will always go above and beyond to make sure he gets the education he deserves, like he always has.?
The Krolls filed the complaint in the fall of last year. There were many meetings between district and family since then. Gutman said he hasn’t yet tallied up how much money and man-hours were spent on the case.
Mark Kroll declined to comment on how much was spent throughout the ordeal. Instead, he was focused on getting his son back into classes at the CERC.
‘We believe it to be very favorable for our son and we are pleased with the outcome,? said Mark Kroll. ‘We’re glad to close this chapter of our life and look forward to opening a new chapter with Lake Orion schools.?
Julie Stucky, the director of special education for the district, is enthused to have Hayden back in Lake Orion schools. She said she has personal experience working with him.
‘We were all winners because the child goes back to school. We can do what we set out to do all along,? Stucky said.