|
 Parents
Fear Kids Are Shortchanged
Behavior problems often result from lack of special-ed
teachers, state advocates say.
by Kim L. Hooper, Indy Star, November 30, 2003
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Juan Reynolds
and his younger brother, Clayton, have learning disabilities
that have cost them valuable time in the classroom.
Juan, 16, and Clayton, 8, are both emotionally handicapped --
special-education students who easily become frustrated with
regular lessons. As a result, they frequently act out in class
with disruptive behavior.
And classroom disturbances carry harsh penalties -- even for
children with learning disabilities.
Both boys have been arrested by Pike Township Schools Police on
juvenile misdemeanor charges related to their behavior problems.
They have been suspended repeatedly from school.
"I'm concerned with, 'Is he going to learn when he goes to
school, or get arrested?' " Anthony Reynolds said of his son
Clayton.
The family's situation illustrates some of the challenges faced
by public school districts, already under scrutiny for
zero-tolerance discipline policies, as they respond to
special-needs children in crisis.
Because many special-education students are in regular education
classrooms, advocates say it's critical for schools to hire
qualified teachers so that such situations are handled
appropriately.
"In the last 10 years, there's been more and more pressure to
put children with special needs in regular buildings and regular
classrooms," said Donna Gore Olsen, executive director of the
Indiana Parent Information Network, an advocacy group for
special education families.
But teachers often aren't equipped to address those children's
needs, she said.
"It's not that (schools) don't care. They don't have enough
trained and qualified staff."
As a result, advocates say, students with learning disabilities
tend to be expelled at a higher rate than their peers.
That trend needs to be reversed, said Tamara Henry, regional
program specialist for the Indiana Resource Center for Families
with Special Needs.
"Schools have an obligation to educate children with (special
needs) regardless of behavior," Henry said.
Those obligations are spelled out in individual education
programs that specify the steps teachers will take to help
children learn.
Parent Marjorie McCormick says the plans are a good first step,
but don't go far enough. And when an untrained teacher is called
on to handle a class of severely disabled children, the plans
don't always get followed, said McCormick, whose 16-year-old
son, John, is slightly autistic and also has behavior issues.
Clayton and Juan Reynolds' parents believe such discipline
policies are punishing their children instead of helping them
learn.
A Pike school official called Clayton's arrest in September
"regrettable" but said it might have been warranted. According
to a police report, the 60-pound boy struck two staff members.
"Is it common? No. But it does happen," Tom Doyle, who oversees
special education for the 10,092-student Pike district, said of
the arrest.
Doyle noted that special education students are held to the same
academic and behavioral standards as other students. But the key
for teachers and staff is to redirect disruptive behavior before
it escalates, he said.
For now, the Reynolds family has made adjustments. Juan is now
home-schooled by his mother, and she is considering the same for
Clayton, who has attended school half-days since Sept. 15 and
faces a juvenile court hearing this month.
"I don't believe my child is learning anything when he's at
school," Melissa Reynolds said. "If (school officials) prosecute
an 8-year-old child, then they have no compassion for
special-needs children."
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