CW: Ableism & Bullying
Gaurav Jashnani was unable to believe his eyes. The comments, stung: administrators at his child’s Northampton elementary school called him “a pain in the ass” and threatened to “go to war” with him over his advocacy. Even more shocking, they confirmed that the district fails to provide disabled students, such as his child, with the assistance to which they are legally entitled. It was all in a transcript of his child’s January special education meeting, which Jashnani, read weeks later.
The unnerving discussions recorded on the transcript occurred after he had left the room. The administrators unwittingly continued recording themselves. They believed the meeting had concluded.
“What is going to happen to my kid if the principal, the counselor, and the special education coordinator are sitting there saying they’re going to war with me for asking that they provide accommodations to help my child learn?” Jashnani recalled thinking that day in mid-March. “What are they going to do to my child?”
It was the start of a journey that would culminate in Jashnani reading the transcribed comments aloud at a School Committee meeting, sparking a school district inquiry and causing fury among other parents, many of whom posted a video of his speech on social media. Jashnani’s faith in the public school system has been rattled by the discovery: how could administrators in Northampton, a city known for its inclusivity, speak so negatively about parents and their disabled children? Special education advocates throughout Massachusetts say the situation is not unusual.
“It’s the Wild West,” said Nancy Duggan, a longtime advocate for students with disabilities.” “I promise you this is not an isolated thing.” Marshfield-based special education attorney Collins Fay-Martin agreed: “Northampton is only unique in that they were caught on a hot mic.”
Jashnani moved to Northampton with his wife and two children in August of last year. He expected the Western Massachusetts city, known for its liberal viewpoints, to be welcome and supportive of his disabled child, who already had a special education plan. By late January, after realizing that his child was not receiving legally mandated help, that belief was broken, and Jashnani found himself pursuing accountability through the state’s formal complaint process.
According to Jashnani’s grievance, which was read by the Globe, his child needed a second adult in their classroom five days a week to meet the accommodations required by their IEP. Instead, for more than two months, the child received only two full days of extra support per week, as confirmed in writing by two of the child’s teachers and documented by the Globe.
According to Jashnani’s copy of the answer to the state, Northampton Public Schools denied wrongdoing. The answer included several attachments, including a written transcript of a Jan. 31 meeting at the school attended by Jashnani and other school administrators regarding the IEP.
An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a federally mandated plan. The IEP team includes parents, teachers, school administrators, service personnel/paraprofessionals, and students (where appropriate) collaborating to develop accommodations and services for a disabled student.
Jashnani, who presented sections from the transcript at the March 13 School Committee meeting, stated that he has not received an apology from the educators or the district. More importantly, he stated that he wants the district to protect disabled students’ rights regardless of their parents’ political, social, or financial status. “If someone doesn’t speak English, if they are working multiple jobs, how are they going to go fight for just the minimum that their kids need?” he said.
Jashnani’s School Committee statement validated special education parents in Northampton, according to Andrea Bertini, who has battled the district for services for her dyslexic son. “I’ve felt for years that they have been shortchanging kids in special education,” Bertini told The Globe. Lisa Modenos, another special education parent, stated that budget cuts and understaffing in the district had left rank-and-file teachers in “terrible situations.” She blamed the district administration, particularly the superintendent.
Unfortunately, I am all too familiar with being denied accommodations within Massachusetts’s education system. In seventh grade, I had to take a home economics class. The main assignment was a sewing project.
Cerebral palsy makes it impossible for me to sew because my fine motor skills are impaired. The occupational therapist provided an alternative assignment for the teacher to give me. The teacher refused. Instead, I watched my paraprofessional complete the project. I later told her that she had received an A in the class.
As I’ve grown older, it’s only become more and more difficult to receive educational accommodations. For the last seven years, my college journey has been plagued with disability-related and logistical challenges. I’ve struggled to get the appropriate accommodations at two different colleges. Something as simple as assistance with note taking became a months long argument that left me feeling defeated.
In the fall of 2023, the director of the disability services office said notetakers weren’t an option for remote classes. When I brought this up to her, I was told I had “misinterpreted” my accommodation agreement.
Last March, I emailed the president of Greenfield Community College, after experiencing more challenges. I emailed her because the disability services office wasn’t meeting my needs. She forwarded my email to the former provost who was overseeing the disability services office.
Two months later, I received an email from the former provost regarding my concerns. His response left me in disbelief. Instead of offering to help me get what I needed, he suggested that I transfer to another college.
Generations of disabled students and their families have fought to receive an education. Unfortunately, the fight is far from over. We can accomplish so much if we are given the support we need.
Sources:
Baumel, Jan “What Is an IEP?” GreatSchools, 8 Mar. 2023, http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/what-is-an-iep/.
Loss, Hannah. “How Can Massachusetts Help Public School Students with Dyslexia?” WGBH, PBS, 17 Jan. 2024, http://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2024-01-17/how-can-massachusetts-help-public-school-students-with-dyslexia.
McLaren, Mandy. “‘A Pain in the Ass’: Northampton School Leaders Caught on Hot Mic Disparaging Dad Who Pushed for His Disabled Kid’s Rights” The Boston Globe, Boston Globe Media Partners , 1 Apr. 2025, http://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/01/metro/northampton-special-education-hot-mic/.