General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Special Education: An Overlooked Factor to the Newtown Tragedy [View all]HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)Mississippi & tons of unfunded mandates.
A sped teacher:
Funding? what funding? In my current school, I see elementary classrooms of 28-30 students, at least half of them speak languages other than English at home, including refugees who speak zero English but are placed in regular classrooms, at least 8-10 have IEPs, and these students see interpreters or specialists for such a short, maybe an hour if that, a day.
The rest of the day, it's up to the regular ed teacher - many who do not have sped degrees and/or ELL training, - to figure out what to do with them at the expense of the few high achieving kids who simply aren't being challenged. sad but reality.
There are people who say that's why this state needs charter schools. Well, public charter schools will have the right to not admit these non English speakers and/or sped students, just as private schools now. It will be a matter of choice.
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/reader_feedback/public/display.php?thread=757967&direction=DESC&column=rating&offset=0#post_4281487
However, the family of the shooter didn't live in washington.
They are upper-class to wealthy & Fairfield county schools are well-funded (it's the 6th-richest county in the US).
The parent chose to pull the kid out of school & homeschool him. She was a stay at home mom with plenty of resources to buy add-on services.
So don't try to blame special ed.