Former consultant to Norwalk, CT school district under multiple criminal charges; one outcome is legislation to establish formal competency to deliver behavior analysis

Three years after being hired by the Norwalk School District, Norwalk, Connecticut to provide behavior analysis services to its students with autism, Stacy Lore, who operated a business called Spectrum Kids, LLC, is being held under $200,000 bond after multiple indictments for forgery, larceny and criminal impersonation. Ms. Lore is accused of falsely representing herself as holding a Doctorate in Psychology and certification by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board to the Norwalk School Board, which on that basis contracted her services in March of 2007; Ms. Lore was also contracting out her services on a private-pay basis to local families, and to other Connecticut and New York School districts. By August of 2008 multiple complaints related to accounting, service delivery, professional behavior, and lack of progress and regression in some children was reported, leading parents within the district to demand investigation and action. Even after receiving notification from the BACB that Ms. Lore was not a BACB certificant, the district did not immediately terminate her contract  resulting in parents to eventually direct their inquiries to the state Attorney General and file Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to discover the extent of background checking that was done before Ms. Lore's hire.

As events have unfolded under investigation with the involvement of the Norwalk School Board, the Attorney General, the legal counsel of Norwalk Public Schools, and the Norwalk Police Department, it has come to light that Ms. Lore's credentials were not checked before her hiring. Discovery has been made that not only is she not a BACB certificant holder nor a Psychology Doctorate, but her highest level of education appears to be that of a Graduate Equivalency Diploma (GED) awarded from BOCES in New York State.

Ms. Lore is currently charged with three counts each of second-degree forgery, first-degree larceny and criminal impersonation. The amount in question is $170,000. This case has been transferred to the Part A dockett at Stamford, Connecticut Superior Court, with her next court appearance scheduled for April 14, 2010. Civil suits have been filed by parents against Lore and the City of Norwalk.

One outcome from this situation is that legislation was crafted by the Connecticut Attorney General and Suzanne Letso, M.A., BCBA, Co-founder and CEO of the Connecticut Center for Child Development to require certain competencies from those delivering behavior analytic services in Connecticut; the bill, CT HB 5425: An Act Concerning Special Education, is currently in the 2010 legislature.

The case involving Ms. Lore bears similarity to that of the 2006 case of Nancie Fisher in New Jersey, who also claimed false credentials and was indicted and eventually convicted of fraud involving over $200,000.

For more information
Lore case sparks new legislation to ensure therapists are qualified
Posted on 03/31/2010 
By STEVE KOBAK. Hour Staff Writer. The Hour Online
[May require registration to read]

'Autism Expert' Arrested for faking credentials (VIDEO) 2:06
April 01, 2010. 6:24 p.m. ET

Lore Held on $200K Bond, Parents React
Moira Noor
The Daily Norwalk, April 1, 2010

Phony Autism Therapist, Stacy Lore, Arrested
Joan Gaylord, The Daily Norwalk
March 31, 2010

A Norwalk Public School scandal shows that Connecticut has no idea how to teach children with autism
Lauri Brett
November 20, 2009

Final Decision in the Matter of a Complaint by Margaret Bustell agains Superintendent of Schools, Norwalk Public Schools; and Norwalk Public Schools
Freedom of Information Commission of the State of Connecticut
May 13, 2009

Legal counsel confirms Lore lacked credentials to serve Norwalk schools
Posted on 02/10/2009,  
Joan Gaylord, Hour Staff Writer. The Hour Online
[May require registration to read]

Duff assures Spectrum Kids clients on FOI case
Joan Gaylord, Hour Staff Writer. The Hour Online
Posted on 10/19/2008
[May require registration to read]

Special Ed Company Snagged In Accounting Audit
October 7, 2008

Update: Fake New Jersey behavior therapist is indicted for impersonating nurse.[On Nancie Fisher case]
May 14, 2006; updated May 17--Behavior News 
Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan (BAAM)

Behavior Analyst Certification Board

Consumer Guidelines for Identifying, Selecting, and Evaluating Behavior Analysts Working with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders [pdf]
Autism Special Interest Group of ABA International

Connecticut Superior Court

Past posts
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
State legislation Quicktake:Connecticut H.B. 5425 passes from Education Committee with joint favorable substitute

© 2010 Regina G. Claypool-Frey
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