http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/judicial/2009-06-22-courtschools_N.htm
I just read the above article posted by the USA Today site. They basically ruled that schools that don't meet the needs of children with special needs will have to pay for the private school that these kids will end up attending. What an idea!!! I happen to live in a state/area where special education is inadequate at most. There are so many people pulling their children out of school and putting them into private. That is the reason the schools don't change. They figure that the parents will just take care of the problem themselves. Those families who are not as fortunate or who don't have the means to go to private school end up staying and their children often don't get the help that they need. They are often put in self-contained classrooms that don't really address the problems but just provide a place for these kids to go. Their goal is to eventually put them into the mainstream classroom, but at what cost?
Do teachers REALLY want children with special needs in their classroom? The answer is NO! They don't have the time, means, or resources to deal with this issue. They have to meet certain deadlines, curriculum, and testing standards. If they have to spend extra time dealing with behavior or other issues that often arise then they don't have the time to properly teach the rest of the kids. I am not a teacher, but I can understand that perfectly. The system is broken!
The answer to this problem would be to make the schools accountable. If a school knew that they would have to pay for private school for these special kids, they would try a little harder and perhaps come up with some different programs for these kids. I think that children with autism are the ones who are hurt the most. The reason is that they are often very smart, but the schools can't see past their behavior or other social issues. There is also such a broad spectrum and the schools want to lump them all into one group or category. I will never forget when they requested my #2 be put into a self-contained classroom in kindergarten. I am SO glad that I didn't listen to them. I stood my ground and fought for my child. Of course, in the end I did what they wanted me to do... I pulled him out and home schooled him and then eventually put him into a private school. It would sure be nice if I received compensation. As a matter of fact, they should pay me what they spend per child per year in public school. That would be fair. I especially think that should have been the case when I home schooled.
All parents regardless of race, income, religion, and social standing want the same thing for their children. They want their children to have a good education and be able to have a better life than they had. This does not stop with children with special needs. These children are going to grow up into adults. They need to be able to be self-sufficient and to be able to make a living. Children with Autism, ADD/ADHD, or PDD have challenges but history shows that early intervention makes all the difference. If we arm teachers, parents, and eventually these children with the proper tools then there is no limits to what can be achieved. I have seen children who could barely talk or even eat, get the proper help and now are in traditional schools and will lead a basically normal life. I wish you all could see the changes in my own son. He now LOVES school. He looks forward to going and learning. He has been given a chance and has proven to the teachers at this new school his TRUE potential.
******************************
We need to pay more attention
to the Attention Deficit that
is truly plaguing the nation's
schools.
******************************
No comments:
Post a Comment