A Massachusetts mother says her son, who has autism, ended up at an unregulated school in New York due to an error by education officials.
Roberta Biscan of Wilmington says the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education wrongly approved Shrub Oak International School in Yorktown, New York, as her son's special education school.
"Connor is a funny, smart, charming young man who is so eager to have friends," Biscan said. "He has his challenges, he's come a long way."
She says what looked like a unique opportunity for Connor to get a specialized education abruptly became a nightmare after he enrolled last July at the age of 19.
"It was very quickly that I learned there were investigations going on with neglect and abuse, which was concerning to me," Biscan said.
She says other parents tipped her off to problems at Shrub Oak. After some research, she learned the school was not approved by the host state as a special education program.
In November of 2023, DESE sent a letter to Shrub Oak explaining that the school could no longer be "listed as having limited 'approval' as an out-of-state provider."
A report from ProPublica this May uncovered allegations of abuse and neglect at Shrub Oak, noting that the school's lack of oversight by any state agency in New York left parents with little recourse when issues arose.
"Us families should be provided, and the state of Massachusetts should be provided, explanation to why [DESE] is sending money to a school in New York that has no oversight from their own state," Biscan said. "That's a huge mistake."
Biscan has filed a complaint asking for the 10 months Connor spent at Shrub Oak to be made up.
"I feel that my son, as well as the six other children that were placed there from Massachusetts, or young adults, should be offered compensatory hours for time that was lost," she said.
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DESE told NBC10 Boston it has since enhanced oversight of the out-of-state program approval process, including adding an additional layer of review. Officials with the department are still investigating how the error occurred.
"This should never happen to any kid, never mind kids that can't necessarily speak up for themselves," Biscan said. "It's awful."
Biscan says Connor is now thriving at the League School for Autism in Walpole.
