But those who work in the schools see the fallout.

The district often doesn't know whether special-education students are receiving services. "Nobody gives a damn until they're trying to transfer a kid for some silly nonsense," said Chris Berglund, a staffer at a social-services agency who works with students and schools.

He cited several cases in which he had gotten schools to stop discipline - appropriately, he said - by pointing to failures in the special-education system.

In one example, a fifth grader at Webster School in Kensington spent several months without services after transferring from another school. The gap wasn't discovered until the boy misbehaved and the district tried to discipline him. The district blamed mislaid files.

Even today, officials cannot say whether the child received the services he was entitled to last year.

A history of problems

Except for a few months when he lived with his mother, Footman was raised by his father and paternal grandmother. He has 20 siblings.

Within a month of starting kindergarten in September 1997, Footman was referred for a mental-health evaluation, and doctors diagnosed emotional problems and "adjustment disorder" - difficulty adjusting to new situations.

Yet his father moved often, and as a result Footman attended seven elementary schools in two years and repeated first grade.

In the classroom, Footman had temper tantrums, fought with teachers, and overturned desks.

By age 7, he was prescribed medication for attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder.

Throughout elementary school, Footman missed between 35 and 60 days a year and was often suspended for trashing rooms, arguing, yelling, disrespecting teachers and fighting.

When confronted, he would deny the behavior and become angry and violent.

"He will try to run away and try to hide," said a school report describing the 9-year-old. "If allowed, he will roam the halls and bathrooms and harass students."

Even though teachers complained that Footman was more than they could handle, he was not evaluated for special education until the spring of 2000, when he was 9. He then started getting help with academics for part of each day.

By the time he was in seventh grade, Footman was placed in a class for children with emotional problems at Roosevelt Middle School in Germantown.

Footman wasn't there long enough to benefit from the program.

In late October, Footman told teacher Brian Costello, "I'll kill you," according to a report read in court.

A few weeks later, he erupted because his teacher wouldn't let him ride his scooter in class. He tossed books, folders and papers, and said he "always hears voices in his head, telling him to do something bad and good," according to the report.