n***@yahoo.com
2007-07-31 20:20:48 UTC
I'm not even sure if this conversation is still raging onward (between
"toto" and "stan" regarding education of special education students.
Jumping into the middle of things, but just a few thoughts:
http://idea.ed.gov/
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Formerly known as: PL 94-142.
Federal law which guarantees every child, regardless of disability,
the right to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least
restrictive environment in, to the maximum extent possible, the
school the child would otherwise attend if they did NOT receive
special education services.
It's not a matter of choosing which children you don't think are worth
spending the extra bucks on and dumping them into a collective pit.
It's a matter of upholding those students' Civil Rights, whether some
of their equipment costs more, or not.
Consider this, though - many of those students will NEVER get to use
the OTHER expensive equipment that exists at every school. Do you
know the cost of equipment, coaches, upkeep, etc. for a high school
football team? How many of the mentally retarded kids will ever
participate in one of those teams or will largely benefit from the
existence of that team. That doesn't mean that because it doesn't
benefit them we should take it away from the others. But, their
parents pay taxes, too, and if their child needs something else,
perhaps expensive, then their tax money gets to benefit upholding
their child's Civil Rights.
If that doesn't adequately explain it, let's try this. Suppose you
have a kid. (I don't know if you do, don't, plan to, whatever, but
this, at least, may help put this into a personal perspective for
you.) Your kid is happy, healthy, performing well in school...
everything a parent could ever want. One sad day, your child is hit
by a car, leaving him severely brain damaged. Now, it's YOUR kid
whose right it is to that FAPE in the least restrictive environment..
who may need expensive pieces of equipment in order to receive what's
rightfully his. I would hope that you, as his parent, would expect
and insist upon what is, not just his Civil Right, but his rights as a
human.
H
"toto" and "stan" regarding education of special education students.
Jumping into the middle of things, but just a few thoughts:
http://idea.ed.gov/
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Formerly known as: PL 94-142.
Federal law which guarantees every child, regardless of disability,
the right to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least
restrictive environment in, to the maximum extent possible, the
school the child would otherwise attend if they did NOT receive
special education services.
It's not a matter of choosing which children you don't think are worth
spending the extra bucks on and dumping them into a collective pit.
It's a matter of upholding those students' Civil Rights, whether some
of their equipment costs more, or not.
Consider this, though - many of those students will NEVER get to use
the OTHER expensive equipment that exists at every school. Do you
know the cost of equipment, coaches, upkeep, etc. for a high school
football team? How many of the mentally retarded kids will ever
participate in one of those teams or will largely benefit from the
existence of that team. That doesn't mean that because it doesn't
benefit them we should take it away from the others. But, their
parents pay taxes, too, and if their child needs something else,
perhaps expensive, then their tax money gets to benefit upholding
their child's Civil Rights.
If that doesn't adequately explain it, let's try this. Suppose you
have a kid. (I don't know if you do, don't, plan to, whatever, but
this, at least, may help put this into a personal perspective for
you.) Your kid is happy, healthy, performing well in school...
everything a parent could ever want. One sad day, your child is hit
by a car, leaving him severely brain damaged. Now, it's YOUR kid
whose right it is to that FAPE in the least restrictive environment..
who may need expensive pieces of equipment in order to receive what's
rightfully his. I would hope that you, as his parent, would expect
and insist upon what is, not just his Civil Right, but his rights as a
human.
H