ABSTRACT
In the fall of 1985 the social work community in New York City faced the threat of declassification of social work positions in the special education division of the public school system. A major commission report not only assailed the need for professional social work expertise in required special education assessments, but it also criticized the lack of attention to preventive services for the general school population (Commission on Special Education, 1985). As a result, the New York City Board of Education implemented a plan to reduce the number of social workers in special education, assign major social work assessment and case management functions to special education teachers, and divide the responsibilities of the remaining social workers between general and special education students.
