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When Law And School Safety Collide: Autism Backlash?
Mainstreaming problem students can cause difficulties for
others
by James M. Abraham, Sun-Herald, October 8, 2002
For more articles on disabilities and special ed visit
www.bridges4kids.org.
The promise of public schools is an opportunity for all who
seek an education to learn. But that promise holds peril for
students, staff and others at Deep Creek Elementary School.
There, a well-meaning intention on the part of an autistic
boy's parents to place their son in a regular class has left
at least one district employee injured and the award-winning
school disrupted.
After hearing about two
incidents last week involving the boy, a parent, Belinda
Latham, decided to take action. In an e-mail sent to School
Board members, she asked that something be done to protect her
daughter, who is in the boy's class.
"We are writing to you
because the physical and emotional welfare of the students in
this class is in jeopardy," wrote Latham and her husband Dan.
"We have met with the Deep Creek administration and have
hesitated writing you this letter in hopes the situation would
soon be resolved ... however this has not happened. In fact,
the situation appears to be getting worse." Deep Creek
principal Peg Jividen refused to give the names or phone
number of the autistic boy. She agreed to pass on a reporter's
request that he talk with the parents, but at press time there
has been no response. School Board member Barbara Rendell
responded to the e-mail by asking Superintendent Dave Gayler
to do something.
"I want to know what's going
to be done about this right away," she wrote in her e-mail to
Gayler. "Keeping a student in a regular classroom until she/he
injures another student is ... just plain wrong and has got to
stop."
She said the situation was
novel in her experience as a School Board member.
"This is the first time I've
received an e-mail from a parent saying an autistic child is
in her child's classroom and it's causing a problem," Rendell
said.
District officials have refused to discuss specifics of the
case, citing federal law and legal restrictions. But Rendell
confirmed that at least one aide had been injured while
working with the boy. "I am told that someone has been
injured, not directly by the student," she said. "I am told
that in the midst of restraining the child, this person fell
and hurt her knee. I am told she went to the hospital."
School Board president Sue
Sifrit said she was unaware of the situation. She suggested
that parents follow the chain of command, speaking first to
the child's teacher, then principal Peg Jividen, and if not
satisfied, the district office.
District officials have
refused to confirm rumors circulating among parents that
several aides had been bitten or struck by the child. But the
absence of district information has left some parents are
frustrated and scared.
"I don't want her injured in
any way," said Susie Thomas, a registered nurse whose daughter
is in the same classroom as the boy. "I'm an R.N. and I
understand autism. I had a premature baby and I wanted the
best for my child so I understand (the mother's concern)."
Thomas, who volunteers at
the school, worries that her child, and others in the class,
are being deprived of the same experiences as kindergartners
in other classrooms because of the boy's behavior. She told of
how a reading loft has been placed off-limits because the boy
attempted to clamber up the ladder when he shouldn't have. She
said a train set has been placed in storage because the boy
wanted to play with it when he was not scheduled to do so.
Under federal law, any child
with a disability must have the same opportunity to learn as
that provided non- disabled children. The playing field is
leveled through the use of teacher aides, different forms of
communication such as sign language, and other advantages. The
school district uses a measure known as a continuum of
services to determine how best to serve a disabled child's
needs. Mainstreaming is the highest level of educational
opportunity.
"We must start at the top of
that continuum," said Ann Eppler, director of Exceptional
Student Education and Psychological Services. Eppler said
there are about 80 autistic students in the district, being
educated in environments ranging from classrooms specifically
for exceptional students to mainstream classes. There are four
or five classes for elementary-age students with moderately to
profound disabilities, she said.
"I wouldn't be in this
business if I wasn't concerned about all kids and their
learning potential," said Eppler. But her hands are tied.
Eppler said the district must abide by federal law when it
comes to providing the child with an educational environment
equal to that of non-disabled children. That rankles some
parents. Deep Creek has been designated a "A plus" school
under Gov. Bush's education improvement program. Some parents,
such as Thomas, have moved to the community which the school
serves in order to enroll their children at Deep Creek.
Popular principal Jividen has a strong reputation for
discipline, and for encouraging parental involvement.
But now, some parents are
having misgivings about the school. The wrong lessons are
being taught by the boy's example, Thomas said. "The children
are learning to wait their turn and be quiet expect when
called on," she said. "But then he's up running around in the
classroom while the other kids are sitting there."
Classrooms in the pod where
the boy's classroom is located must be locked to prevent him
from bursting into classes. The boy bangs his head against
their doors, and otherwise disrupts lessons. Parents at Deep
Creek have been understanding, but they are also concerned
about the safety and education of their children. "I have a
son who will protect himself -- if he gets in a situation like
that he'll not only protect himself, but his teachers," said
Patrick Brazill, a regular volunteer at Deep Creek who has
three children at the school.
Thursday, Brazill called the
Sun after doing his regular volunteering stint at the school.
He was concerned about an altercation involving the boy who,
Brazill said, screamed on and off for almost 45 minutes as
teachers and aides tried to calm him.
Belinda Latham, in her
e-mail, described a Friday incident during which, she said,
the boy had to be restrained and removed from the classroom as
the other students were trying to take their daily naps. "Our
daughter dreads going to school and complains of stomachaches
which tells us this is a highly stressful situation," she
wrote. "... We are not comfortable sending our child into this
situation day after day and she is not comfortable going."
Brazill, Thomas and the
Lathams agree that the school staff is doing the the best they
can in a difficult situation. "I think the other kids hear
what's going on, but the teachers do a good job of covering it
up," Brazill said. "I think these teachers are doing
everything they can in their power."
But that's little
consolation, said Dan Latham. "I just don't think it's a place
for him to be," he said. "There's nothing we can do about it.
The school is stuck between a rock and a hard place."
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