Clustering of special Ed kids in gen Ed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you mean "the same form?"

Every year (towards the end) in the News You Choose emails you get from your school, there is a form where you can request teacher traits and that kids are separated/kept together.

I don't think every school does this. Our elementary school does, but I don't think it is district-wide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is overblown. SPED does not necessarily mean disruptive. Grouping SPED might simply mean there are 4 kids who have similar IEPs, so rather than hiring multiple aides, the school can hire one if the kids are together. My child was a class with an extra aide one year ... I think having the extra aide benefited all the kids to a degree. My child was also in a class that didn't have that type of cluster another year and dealt with a VERY disruptive child (disruptive to the point of the teacher crying in front of students). I think it's all a crap shoot.

On or above grade level non-disruptive SPED kids aren't the ones people complain about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should do real "team taught" classes at the elementary level. Instead you have an overworked Special Ed teacher trying to handle push in/ pull out across various grade levels and different IAs cycling in and out throughout the day.

They should also have team taught Honors and AP classes in MS and HS, but except for one here and there, they do not. It is all about $$$.

Which schools have it? Unfortunately, my DC’s MS does not have it.

[Anonymous]

They’re probably looking at overall test scores for the school. It’s better for the scores to sacrifice one complete class and have the other classes do well (hopefully) than to have nobody learning anything across the board.

I think the laws probably need to change. They were written with things like physical disabilities in mind, not this explosion in disruptive and even violent behavior that prevents other kids from learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They’re probably looking at overall test scores for the school. It’s better for the scores to sacrifice one complete class and have the other classes do well (hopefully) than to have nobody learning anything across the board.

I think the laws probably need to change. They were written with things like physical disabilities in mind, not this explosion in disruptive and even violent behavior that prevents other kids from learning.[b]

- source: I made it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There should be sped schools, the way they have AAP centers.

My DC2 had severe ADHD and defiant behavior. He was also 3 years advanced academically and was bussed to middle school for math starting in 4th grade. He's at MIT now. My DC1 is doing an MD/PhD program and 1/4 of his class is on the spectrum. One of those SN people will probably discover the cure to cancer. Your view is very simplistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There should be sped schools, the way they have AAP centers.

Least Restrictive Environment be like: do I mean nothing to you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you mean "the same form?"

Every year (towards the end) in the News You Choose emails you get from your school, there is a form where you can request teacher traits and that kids are separated/kept together.

Our school has this, but our principal is hiding the fact that a large group of sped kids is grouped together. I didn’t know that my child was assigned to sped classroom. He kept complaining about discipline issues and teacher being often angry, we even got several disturbing emails from the teachers about classroom incidents. When I tried to inquire about the issues, I was repeatedly told by school administration that all classes are experiencing increase behavioral issues due to Covid isolation. So, I believed them over what my child was saying. Then I started talking with parents from other classrooms and all were shocked! None of their kids had to deal with severe disruptions on daily basis. We are supposed to trust schools and teachers, but keeping this information hidden from parents should not be allowed. Other classrooms had incomparably stronger curriculum and mostly happy day to day activities. This type of discrimination should be unacceptable both for sped and non-sped kids. We have friends with kids with severe behavioral problems and they are mostly sweet and nice when provided all the necessary support. Having a classroom environment where one or more kids are having unmanaged daily issues with screening, crying and throwing items throughout the classroom should not be legal! And, no, 8 and 9 year olds do not benefit from being exposed to such environment without parents even knowing. I do not have a problem with a single child from that classroom. I have a problem with grown-ups who are trying to cover-up the issue. I do not believe that principal, counselors, teachers and social workers at my child’s school are happy with their inability to do more. But, they need to speak up, not hide the information from the parents, and, us, parents, need to bring up this issue front and center at our school board meetings. I cannot fight for my child if I am unaware of what is going on at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best years my gen Ed kid has had have been in inclusion classrooms. The unfounded judgment of kids with IEPs is disgusting.

It's not unfounded for many kids in these inclusive classrooms who have had very negative, even traumatic experiences.

My kid had to see a therapist for anxiety related to going to school in her inclusive class. Why? Because two students in the class regularly had meltdowns that caused the classroom to be evacuated. These meltdowns included lots of yelling, throwing items, and in a few cases, outright assault on the teacher and aide.

It got to the point where their class was evacuating the classroom weekly. The one student's behavior just got more and more destructive to the point where he trashed a classroom one time and the kids had to finish out the day in neighboring classrooms.

That's UNACCEPTABLE behavior for anyone. My kid shouldn't have been scared of going to school because of two students who, and I will just keep it real, are never going to amount to anything. One student is mostly nonverbal with significant delays. I cannot think of any job that he can do in his future. It's sad, but it is what it is.

When I was in school, these types of students were in their own classrooms. That's how it should be. If you're a disruptive student, you don't get to be mainstreamed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should do real "team taught" classes at the elementary level. Instead you have an overworked Special Ed teacher trying to handle push in/ pull out across various grade levels and different IAs cycling in and out throughout the day.

They should also have team taught Honors and AP classes in MS and HS, but except for one here and there, they do not. It is all about $$$.

Which schools have it? Unfortunately, my DC’s MS does not have it.

I suggest you join Fairfax SEPTA and the 2E groups that are pushing for this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best years my gen Ed kid has had have been in inclusion classrooms. The unfounded judgment of kids with IEPs is disgusting.

It's not unfounded for many kids in these inclusive classrooms who have had very negative, even traumatic experiences.

My kid had to see a therapist for anxiety related to going to school in her inclusive class. Why? Because two students in the class regularly had meltdowns that caused the classroom to be evacuated. These meltdowns included lots of yelling, throwing items, and in a few cases, outright assault on the teacher and aide.

It got to the point where their class was evacuating the classroom weekly. The one student's behavior just got more and more destructive to the point where he trashed a classroom one time and the kids had to finish out the day in neighboring classrooms.

That's UNACCEPTABLE behavior for anyone. My kid shouldn't have been scared of going to school because of two students who, and I will just keep it real, are never going to amount to anything. One student is mostly nonverbal with significant delays. I cannot think of any job that he can do in his future. It's sad, but it is what it is.

When I was in school, these types of students were in their own classrooms. That's how it should be. If you're a disruptive student, you don't get to be mainstreamed.

Same. My dd is quiet, helpful and friendly. Thus she got 3 special ed kids placed in her block of 4 table. I really had no idea what was going on when she started crying every morning and crying at night too. She begged and begged to not have to go to school. Turns out the kids were kicking her, pinching her, shredding her work, ripping up her library book, and were so loud during individual work time and class time that she had trouble working. She came home one day with a huge bruise on her body and that's when I got the full story. Her seat mate had slammed the door to the bathroom into her so hard that the knob bruised her badly. Her teacher didn't pick up on her unhappiness or how the rest of the class was falling behind because she had her hands full. 2 of the kids were violent and they had to evacuate the classroom several times.

I agree with the person who said that "least restrictive environment" was meant for physical disabilites, not mental.

We also had the issue one year with my other kid's class being the Spanish class. Out of the 4 Kindergarten classrooms, they chose one to put them all together. Over half the class didn't speak English. They were well behaved kids, but there was basically no teacher time for the rest of the kids because the focus was on learning English. It was a K class, so it's not like they could read or write in Spanish either. I wished the class was a Spanish immersion class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There should be sped schools, the way they have AAP centers.

Least Restrictive Environment be like: do I mean nothing to you?

But what about the rights of the other students to learn?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have an elementary school with special ed kids and I love that my "gen ed" kids have had these children in their classrooms. Maybe we are lucky with great aides and teachers, but I have only found it to be a benefit to my kids to learn that not everyone looks the same or learns the same or sounds the same and that there is room for everyone. I am pretty appalled at the responses here.

And I will add that in kindergarten, one of my son's classmates wasn't fully diagnosed as autistic yet and there was a lot of chair throwing, hitting, etc. and the kids had to evacuate the classroom sometimes. So it hasn't been all sunshine and roses. But now that student is receiving proper services and has come such a long way. I love asking my son how this student is doing and hearing great things about how well he's doing now, 3 years later.

Some kids may not be bothered by that while it's highly distressing to others. I think parents of those children have a right to request a different placement. I currently have this situation in my classroom and luckily none of the other students seem to mind much. My own child is highly sensitive to it.

This is our experience too.
Most children are resilient and do fine even in the environment described. Our child had a friend who went through this experience in early elementary and it did not bother DC at all. DC had a great K year as did the classmates we know and I never heard a complaint from any of the other parents.

There is always the one child with sensitivity so this bothers them a lot and those parents have the right to request a chance of classroom. It's not because the children with special needs are so exceptionally bad or poorly behaved. It's about their own child being a match or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best years my gen Ed kid has had have been in inclusion classrooms. The unfounded judgment of kids with IEPs is disgusting.

It's not unfounded for many kids in these inclusive classrooms who have had very negative, even traumatic experiences.

My kid had to see a therapist for anxiety related to going to school in her inclusive class. Why? Because two students in the class regularly had meltdowns that caused the classroom to be evacuated. These meltdowns included lots of yelling, throwing items, and in a few cases, outright assault on the teacher and aide.

It got to the point where their class was evacuating the classroom weekly. The one student's behavior just got more and more destructive to the point where he trashed a classroom one time and the kids had to finish out the day in neighboring classrooms.

That's UNACCEPTABLE behavior for anyone. My kid shouldn't have been scared of going to school because of two students who, and I will just keep it real, are never going to amount to anything. One student is mostly nonverbal with significant delays. I cannot think of any job that he can do in his future. It's sad, but it is what it is.

When I was in school, these types of students were in their own classrooms. That's how it should be. If you're a disruptive student, you don't get to be mainstreamed.

You are a disgusting person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best years my gen Ed kid has had have been in inclusion classrooms. The unfounded judgment of kids with IEPs is disgusting.

It's not unfounded for many kids in these inclusive classrooms who have had very negative, even traumatic experiences.

My kid had to see a therapist for anxiety related to going to school in her inclusive class. Why? Because two students in the class regularly had meltdowns that caused the classroom to be evacuated. These meltdowns included lots of yelling, throwing items, and in a few cases, outright assault on the teacher and aide.

It got to the point where their class was evacuating the classroom weekly. The one student's behavior just got more and more destructive to the point where he trashed a classroom one time and the kids had to finish out the day in neighboring classrooms.

That's UNACCEPTABLE behavior for anyone. My kid shouldn't have been scared of going to school because of two students who, and I will just keep it real, are never going to amount to anything. One student is mostly nonverbal with significant delays. I cannot think of any job that he can do in his future. It's sad, but it is what it is.

When I was in school, these types of students were in their own classrooms. That's how it should be. If you're a disruptive student, you don't get to be mainstreamed.

Same. My dd is quiet, helpful and friendly. Thus she got 3 special ed kids placed in her block of 4 table. I really had no idea what was going on when she started crying every morning and crying at night too. She begged and begged to not have to go to school. Turns out the kids were kicking her, pinching her, shredding her work, ripping up her library book, and were so loud during individual work time and class time that she had trouble working. She came home one day with a huge bruise on her body and that's when I got the full story. Her seat mate had slammed the door to the bathroom into her so hard that the knob bruised her badly. Her teacher didn't pick up on her unhappiness or how the rest of the class was falling behind because she had her hands full. 2 of the kids were violent and they had to evacuate the classroom several times.

I agree with the person who said that "least restrictive environment" was meant for physical disabilites, not mental.

We also had the issue one year with my other kid's class being the Spanish class. Out of the 4 Kindergarten classrooms, they chose one to put them all together. Over half the class didn't speak English. They were well behaved kids, but there was basically no teacher time for the rest of the kids because the focus was on learning English. It was a K class, so it's not like they could read or write in Spanish either. I wished the class was a Spanish immersion class.

Ours is the same way and usually she ends up that the problem table because other girls would speak up and boys would respond. It usually took asking the principal about filing a formal bullying complaint (always nicely) to get her moved.