Court to Hear Case Against Kanawha School Board
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Posted: 9:15 AM Mar 3, 2008
Court to Hear Case Against Kanawha School Board
The state Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of a functionally illiterate man who says the Kanawha County school system failed to provide him a proper education.
Reporter: WSAZ News Staff
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The state Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of a functionally illiterate man who says the Kanawha County school system failed to provide him a proper education.

An attorney for Thomas Sturm says that although Sturm was allowed to graduate from Sissonville High School in 2004, the 21-year-old man can read only on a third-grade level.

The attorney, Mike Clifford, says the school board failed to abide by state and federal laws meant to monitor and protect the rights of students with disabilities. Sturm allegedly suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Kanawha County Judge Tod Kaufman dismissed the 2006 lawsuit last year, saying Sturm didn't exhaust all his administrative remedies.

School board general counsel Jim Withrow says Sturm could have complained about his lack of education and requested a hearing with education officials.

Clifford expects the high court to take up the case this summer.

Latest Comments

Posted by: Anonymous on Jun 19, 2008 at 02:38 AM

Buck up. Stop blaming others for your mistakes of not applying yourself in school and your parents for not making you.
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Posted by: Parent of ADHD kid, too on Mar 5, 2008 at 08:00 AM

I have a son who has ADHD. I took it upon myself to get him diagnosed and help ASAP. He is now in 2nd grade. I monitor his grades, school and home work. I am ACTIVELY INVOLVED. If he has ADHD, obviously the parents got help to get him diagnosed. It takes work, and a lot of it, when you are the parent of a kid w/ADHD. But, we are still the parents, and we are ultimately responsible for him. We read to him, and he reads to us. We find what interests him. If he finds it interesting, then he can stick to it easier. It is a shame that the parents are only teaching their kid to milk the system for all you can get and forget about personal responsibility. When I talk to teachers, they are thankful I am so involved in my son's education. They say that makes all the difference in the world. It is the one's whose parents are not involved that have more problems. Kids will only achieve as much as we believe they can. Teach them to reach for the sky and they will reach for the universe.
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Posted by: Jay on Mar 4, 2008 at 04:47 PM

How come the State Department hasn't taken over this county?
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