Feds close probe into Burbank parent’s charge of bias against learning-disabled son

The U.S. Department of Education has closed its investigation into the Burbank Unified School District, several months after a parent alleged discrimination against her son.

Kelly Duenckel filed a complaint after her son, Robert Duenckel, who has learning disabilities, was told he could not participate in a popular science class lab. Robert ultimately did take part after Duenckel pressed school officials to include him and fellow special-education students in the lab in which a cow’s eye was dissected.

The complaint alleged that special-education students were denied an opportunity to participate in science labs that were provided to general-education students.

Duenckel also alleged that Burbank Unified discriminated against her son by failing to provide science classrooms equipped with proper facilities for students with disabilities.

The investigators found that Burbank school officials “took immediate steps to resolve the first two allegations” and closed the case last week.

Meanwhile, the federal office found “insufficient evidence” to support Duenckel’s third allegation that her son and others with disabilities were not given an equal opportunity to participate in clubs, electives and scholarship programs.

She made the allegation, in part, on the basis that math and reading intervention courses were scheduled during the same time as electives — potentially affecting students with learning disabilities, who participate in intervention courses more often than general-education students.

Duenckel said she was “a little disappointed” in that inconclusive finding. Overall, however, she said she was pleased with the results of the investigation, which led to immediate change.

“I am satisfied with the overall outcome, and I am appreciative of [Burbank Unified’s] commitment to bringing the science program and lab access in line with the law,” Duenckel said.

Burbank school officials made several immediate changes at John Muir Middle School, where Duenckel’s son was in the seventh grade last school year. They also reviewed and altered the way they operate the science programs at David Starr Jordan and Luther Burbank middle schools.

They found that during the 2015-16 school year, general-education students completed 45 science labs compared with 26 labs that special-education students completed, according to a report.

“The district recognized that it needed to ensure that students with disabilities had equal opportunities to participate and made substantive changes to its programs,” the report stated.

At all three middle schools special-education students now have access to the same curriculum, labs, equipment and trained teachers as general-education students.

“Our focus is always on supporting and serving our students,” said Burbank Supt. Matt Hill in response to the report. “In every situation when there is an opportunity for improvement, we take action.”

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Twitter: @kellymcorrigan

Corrigan writes for Times Community News