Special education dispute leads to Orange County man defending himself in a double murder trial

Robert Alan Lehmann, a divorced father of one, is facing double murder charges for the killing of his ex-wife. Emily Ford, and ex-father-in-law, Russell Ford. The murder occurred the same day the Lehmann lost custody of his ADHD/special needs daughter to his ex-wife. She had filed for full custody due to Lehmann’s inability to control his temper and the resultant fear for her safety that she was experiencing. At the core of their dispute was proper school placement for the seven year-old. Dad wanted expensive private placement while Mom preferred a public school placement.

For all the facts of the case, please read my Examiner.com article.

DMV photo of Emily Ford, 32. (credit to starfl.com)

Special education funds face steep reductions from Feds

The “OMB Report Pursuant to the Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012” paints a grim picture for the disabled in America. Unless something is done before sequestration begins in January, 2013, special education funding to the states will be slashed by more than a billion dollars and multiple other programs benefiting the disabled would similarly be slashed by millions of dollars. Sequestration went into effect when law makers failed to reach a budget agreement last year. At that point, the 8.2% slash to nearly all federal programs automatically kicked into gear and will apply to the 2013 budget unless something is done. All told the bill is expected to initiate 1.2 trillion dollars in cuts for the 2013 budget.

The long anticipated report on sequestration’s financial effects paints a grim picture not only for America’s disabled but also for the country as a whole. Multiple financial experts have cried out against the potentially disastrous effects that sequestration could have on the American economy, warning that the indiscriminate cuts would likely serve to plunge the country back into recession.

The report briefly touches on the enormous spending cuts that education faces if nothing is done to stave off the law’s effect.

Education grants to States and local school districts supporting smaller classes, afterschool programs, and children with disabilities would suffer.

Further medical research delving into developmental disabilities would similarly suffer a major slash as the National Institute of Health would suffer a 2.3 billion dollar cut.