Readers' Scoop: Can't Fight City Hall? Says Who?

(Below is an unedited letter submitted to us by a reader. TLS welcomes your letters at thelakewoodscoop@gmail.com . The views are solely those of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of TLS).

TLS recently posted a touching letter from parents of a Lakewood child with special needs. They report that their child was neglected for years by the school district and denied essential special services. Judging by the cascade of outraged posts, it seems like the letter resonated with many parents, and blew the lid off a local scandal. This eruption of online furor showed that TLS single-handedly cracked open a channel for citizens to voice mass displeasure with official misconduct. As such, TLS played an exclusive, important role as a catalyst for change, raising public awareness and proving that you CAN fight City Hall, or in this case, the Lakewood BOE. It’s a great story. It’s all about the basics of democracy - - about public awareness, accountability, transparency, citizens right to participate in deciding how their tax dollars will be spent, resisting official abuse of power, exposing corruption, and stopping injustice. With over 250 posts, it’s obvious that the people of Lakewood are fed-up, and are demanding change. No longer can the LBOE tell parents, "everyone is getting services, we just ran out of money for your child". As the posted documents and torrent of public comments show, the opposite is true; hardly anyone in our mosdos is getting services, only a 'lucky' few do. The success story reprinted below from another web site, and about another school district, offers a most valuable perspective. It sheds additional light on overcoming this type of abuse. Strikingly familiar to your original post, it teaches Lakewood parents a universal lesson on how to fight back and win a productive future for their child. TLS will continue its important public service if you publish this great story. It can and will save lives. Can you put a price on that? (Read full article on TLS here).