Feds Rule District Can Limit School Choice For Special Education Students

[The Straight Story]

Feds Rule District Can Limit School Choice For Special Education Students

Department of Education officials are okaying a Missouri school district’s plan to require preschoolers with disabilities to attend a new special education center over objections from area parents.

Currently, Springfield, Mo. children with disabilities attend preschool within neighborhood schools where special education classes include typically developing children who often serve as role models. But when a new early childhood special education center is completed early next year, all special education preschoolers will be forced to move to the new facility.

A local parent filed a complaint with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights arguing that unilaterally moving all special education students away from their zoned schools denies them their right to an education in the least restrictive environment. But this week the department found that the school district plan is perfectly legal, reports the (Springfield, Mo.) News-Leader.

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2010/11/10/sped-preschool/11165/

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. ghettoizing the disability kids, eh?

I predict these special schools will soon become underfunded, also.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. They have to apply for funding every year

And with the cuts to funding in MO for ALL schools, I predict a short life for this facility.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. And therefore a short life to schooling for disabled kids, sounds like.

You KNOW there will be hue and cry against the children being allowed into "regular" schools when the
special schools are closed. They are just being 'eased out" the door of education.
the Republicans have openly bragged they want to shut the federal dept. of Education and they know
that once Federal programs are moved to states, there will be little money or desire to cover those expenses and mandates at the state level.
Which is WHY the programs were placed under Federal Regulation years ago!!!!

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. The feds have NEVER properly funded sped programs

When the first law was passed in 1974, they promised to fund 40%. When Obama took office, they had been funding 15% and he raised it to 23%. Still a far cry from 40%. And way short of the 100%, which it should have been all along.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

30. Schools are a local responsibility including special ed, just look at Hawaii

[jwirr]

12. I think that funding for most special ed programs is special funds

that come from places like Medicaid. The money that is used by the public schools for this group is mandated for this group and cannot be used for other programs. I think they are going to find out that if they close these schools down all they have accomplished is to lose the funds that the feds supplied.

That said as a parent who stood on street corners to support the schools in churches before they finally got into the school building, this is a giant step backward. Having attended Missouri Synod Lutheran Church Colleges I blame then. I remember setting in a class were the teacher bitched about the waste of money being spent on educating these children. I was angry then but nothing compared to what I feel now.

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. Medicaid funds are only a small percentage of the funding they receive

You are correct that they can't use sped funds for anything other than sped. Same with Title I funds.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Sounds like they will place some non-disabled kids there

and that's why the court ruled the way it did.

But this goes against current research which supports full inclusion. Most districts are moving to that model for all disabled kids, not just pre-schoolers.

[jody]

4. I wish gifted students received the same funding and attention as the ones in the OP. That would be

a real investment in education.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. But gifted kids are also shown in research to be best served in full inclusion settings

[jody]

9. If you use "full inclusion settings" to mean same courses then every credible research paper I've

read found that gifted students need courses that challenge them.

My grandchildren have IQs ranging from 140 to well over 160 and many friends with children/grandchildren in that same range.

They and I agree that gifted children need courses that challenge them.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. Well fortunately (or not) most of the decisions made on programming aren't based on research

TPTB tend to go with what's least expensive. Hence, full inclusion is all the rage in these tough economic times.

[jody]

24. LOL "most of the decisions . . . aren't based on research" n/t

[jwirr]

13. You are right about gifted children needing more support BUT this

money came to the school for children who would normally have ended up in institutions - the money came from the institutions and if we stop educating them then that is where it will go back to. We are not fighting against money for gifted students - we are fighting to keep our family members in the community instead of the institution.

[jody]

14. Excellent point. I don't want to take a single penny from Special Education but I do demand equal

funding and attention for gifted students.

I have data from 8 years ago showing that for $11 spent on special education programs, we spent two cents, TWO CENTS, on gifted students.

Today CA which is a beacon for other states in all things progressive has curtailed its programs for gifted students.

CA colleges have a large student population from other countries particularly China and many of them major in science and mathematics related programs.

Ironically many of those are students who could not pass entrance standards for their nation's universities.

Sadly for the U.S., those students routinely set the standard for class performance that U.S. students have trouble matching.

[jwirr]

15. The fact that this country ignores the gifted is one of the biggest

mistakes they make. How many of these children hold the answers to our critical issues of the day? Probably many and we ignore them.

[Luminous Animal]

17. Wow. You and your friends have managed to have grandchildren that are only .3% of the population.

Well over 160 (.003%) would have universities knocking down the door.

[MattBaggins]

18. Everyone with gifted kids raise their hands

... every hand shoots up.

people really get testy when you start to roll your eyes as they begin to tell you about their little Einstein.

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. Very true

[jody]

23. Excellent point but I mean students who consistently test and perform at the gifted

level.

The term gifted typically means those with IQs above 130 with 100 as mean and SD of 15, i.e. 2.5% of the population.

Those students need just as much help to realize their potential as students on the other end of the distribution.

I say again, I do not want to reduce funding or programs for special education!

I just want equal funding and programs for gifted students.

[jody]

21. You miss my point. Gifted children without parents or a mentor to help

them, fall through the cracks in education.

I have a passion for helping gifted students.

[Odin2005]

25. what about those of us that are gifted AND disabled?

[jody]

26. Excellent point that many don't understand. Son of my friend is autistic, 14 years old, with

both parents also autistic.

Both parents have PhDs but struggle in social settings.

Their son is truly brilliant in math/science and I hope he finds a niche to use his ability.

[msanthrope]

28. Like my daughter--

Our local public school district agrees she has Aspergers. But her IQ is 'too high,' so they don't have any services for her. She could attend a class full of kids that range on the autistic spectrum, but since she gifted, she won't get a moment's notice.

It was suggested that she could attend a certain public school, and the teachers would be happy to 'program' a computer-based curriculum that she could use while the rest of the class caught up on the basics...that's what passes for enrichment in public school.

[jody]

33. Society loses when students with rare gifts are not given opportunities that would benefit society.

[rucky]

8. This needs to be decided in the courts. n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. I've been hoping for that for years

All sped programming and funding needs to be decided in a court. It's incredibly inequitable.

[Odin2005]

16. That is fucked up!

:grr:

[dkf]

22. Does every kid have a right to preschool in Missouri?

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. No but preschoolers with disabilities are covered under federal law

School attendance in MO is not mandatory till age 7.

[dkf]

29. So how can they insist on equal treatment when they are already getting better treatment?

[proud2BlibKansan]

32. How is it better?

The law stipulates that their needs be met in the least restrictive environment. State and federal regs also are based on the philosophy that fair doesn't mean every child gets the same but that every child gets what they need.

[jody]

34. "every child gets what they need" but not if they are gifted. What a waste. n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

35. There is a debate around what the gifted need

That's the problem there. And yes, they're needs are not being met, IMO.

[mentalsolstice]

31. Wow, all those years fighting for inclusion per the IDEA

And some districts still haven't learned...