Father: Westhampton school won't admit son with Down syndrome

A Remsenberg father says he won't give up his yearlong battle with Westhampton Beach School District over their refusal to enroll his son who has Down syndrome. Last week, Chris Killoran says he received

News 12 Staff

Aug 25, 2016, 12:29 AM

Updated 3,049 days ago

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A Remsenberg father says he won't give up his yearlong battle with Westhampton Beach School District over their refusal to enroll his son who has Down syndrome.
Last week, Chris Killoran says he received a letter from the district threatening him with possible arrest if he sets foot on school property with his son on the first day of middle school in September.
"I invited them to come down and kneel down and look him in the eye and refuse to accept him, because that's essentially what their position is," says Killoran.
Killoran says the district has referred his son to be educated at larger nearby school districts or to BOCES.
Superintendent Michael R. Radday released a statement saying, "Since the inception of this matter, the Westhampton Beach School District has acted in the child's best interests in seeking to ensure that he is placed in a program that will appropriately meet his educational and developmental needs. Out of respect for the child's privacy rights and the pending legal process, we will not comment any further at this time."
Killoran's lawsuit claims that the school district simply does not want severely impaired students. He says he has also a complaint pending with the state Department of Education.
The father plans to present his case at an impartial public hearing to be held at the Westhampton Beach High School on Aug. 29 at 10 a.m.