No more Special Ed. aides at school next year!

[Claudia1]

Be ye forewarned........ this could be a looooooong post.........!

I am still trying to get all the details but the details are very well protected. Or corporation is in a tight budget crunch and one of the outcomes was to let go all (yes..... ALL ) of the Sp. Ed Aides. This is not a part of the "No Child Left Behind" scenario but the two are presenting us with a recipe for disaster.

Here is the scenario:
Here is how the system has worked (well, too) for years. Most of the Sp. Ed. students go in general ed classes but have aides available in class for resource and can go back to the Resource room at any time for any reason to work directly with the trained Resouce Teacher. The Resource teacher also has some classes that are not as in-depth or stringent as general ed classes, allowing the general ed teacher to have a general ed class and also allowing the Sp. Ed. student to learn at their own pace & in a conducive enviornment. The student was able to earn a diploma and the system worked.

The school superintendent (not the Board, the Spec. Ed. dept, or the teachers in the classrooms) laid out a plan last year to put all Sp. Ed. students back in general ed classes. That was not ideal for some cases but the aides were still in the picture. When the budget crunch came, the superintendent did some major stuff, including the aides (Sp. Ed. and other general aides). So, next year, LD, EH, and MI students will be in general classes without aides.

The Resource teachers are supposed to "team teach" with the general ed teachers. OK in theory but how can a Middle or High School teacher team teach with the dozens of general ed teachers that have her students? How can the teacher be available for all of their 30-40 students for her one-on-one help? She can't stay in her own classroom to help those who come to her and also team-teach in multiple general ed classrooms.

We have the utmost respect for the Spec. Ed. program, teachers, and High School staff. They all truly have a heart for the students & are great.

The major problems:
1) Seniors, DD in particular. For the last 11 years, she has earned her grades under the existing system. When she did not grasp what was in the general ed classroom, she turned to a trained aide or went to her teacher. They assisted her in processing the information and she learned the material. In come classes, she (and many others) took "Resource" classes. Those classes earned them the same credit but was presented in a completely different manner, a way that they could understand or deal with. So, for her Senior year, she will be put into General Ed classes, without her usual safety net. She may get right up to graduation and not make it.

2) Special Ed students often do not handle change readily. A simple change in teacher can cause enough stress for 2 or 3 weeks to prohibit progress. This change will make some feel like they are walking a high-wire tightrope without out a net. Another analogy would be to be forced to drive a semi-truck without proper instruction just because you are a licensed driver.

3) Special Ed. parents are not usually pro-active. I'm not sure about other schools, but the majority of our Sp. Ed. parents are less educated than their kids or don't care or don't understand that they must be advocates for their children or don't grasp the realities or expect the school to just take over for them, etc.... Yes, we have many parents like us that dig in and work thru the problems but we are in the distinctive minority. The squeaking wheel gets the grease and we are not the wheel that is squeaking the loudest in the corporation.

4) Funds. The school receives funds for every Sp. Ed. student on it roles. Where is that money going? The gifted program has it's own teachers, the sports teams have their own coaches, etc... and they do not receive sufficient funds to cover their salaries. The Sp. Ed. money is for more than teachers. It is designed to cover all the extra needs of the students. Where is that money going?

5) General Ed. students. It is not fair to them, either. I'm guessing that the first, major backlash will be when a gen. ed. student does not receive what they need (and deserve) in a gen. ed. classroom because the teacher is taken up with a Sp. Ed. student. One teacher has told us that she is assigned a classroom next year with LD, EH, and MI students all in the same class. The Resource teacher is scheduled in another classroom for that period. Yikes!

DH and I are still in the fact-finding phase. Time is short and logic will not carry us thru to a promising solution. Our DD's Senior year is at risk and we need to take action but we are going up against a superintendent that has cast this in stone.

Thanks for listening and letting me vent!

 

[airhead]

What state is this happening in?

 

[gemmie214]

Sounds like a potentially dangerous situation for students and teachers if this goes through.

 

[snuggles]

I thought it was a law that Sp Ed students have the right to an aide if their parents wanted one. I won't get started on Inclusion. For some kids its the best, for many, disaster.

Contact state Sp Ed people and see what you can find out. Good luck!

 

[Kirby]

I feel for you and hope that a solution can be worked out.

Aides are very important when it comes to giving one on one attention to children. Sometimes when there is over 20 children in a class, it is hard for the teacher to spend time with everyone, especially in the upper grades.

Both my children were put in the Title I program in elementary school. Without the aides in that program, they would have had a much tougher time. When they got older, they were tested and found to be dyslexic and moved into that program.

I've worked as an aide before. It can be a tough job but very rewarding when you work with a student and see them grow and learn.

 

[minniecarousel]

Holy moly! I work in a HS & see what the SpecEd Aides do and I can't imagine the SpecEd Teachers doing their jobs w/o them! In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if the Teachers seek employment in another district if the Superintendent goes through with this plan. Doesn't the School Board have to implement such a drastic change in the program?
As for your daughter, is there a private school around for her Senior year? (I know, my kids wouldn't consider leaving their friends for their Sr. year!)

 

[Claudia1]

Our school board elections are next week and they are quite heated right now. This is not the only big issue on the table, either! Even if a new school board majority is elected and the plan is overturned, it may not happen in time to effect real change for the Seniors.

 

[shortbun]

Wow! I'm so sorry. Your DD is so lucky that you are her parent.
I'm sure you will do what is needed to keep her from falling
through the cracks. Our huge urban school system is looking
at big cuts including aides in some areas and people are screaming. Unfortunately, there is no money for education anywhere in large urban districts. The tax base "has left the
building." I HATE that school boards are soooo secretive, it's
a symptom of bad government and the people should rise and
object. There must be some solutions they have overlooked.
Good luck and I hope you find someone willing to give you the
whole and true story.
mimi

 

[two4ruff]

We just learned of the same thing in our district (I'm in eastern Washington state)

All our special ed aides were given a letter telling them pretty much "thanks, but see ya!".

Finally a job I love, and now its going away. If I were a parent of one of these kids, I would be screaming bloody murder!

 

[CRB#33]

I cannot imagine this will last long.

Many "Special Education" students cannot do well on state mandated testing without the preparation help of their aide.

It won't be long until the schools that are affected by this start to watch their testing scores go down. And when that happens they will lose their benefits under the "No child left behind" program.

Doesn't someone see this?????

 

[Kermit]

That sounds horrible. It sounds especially bad in your case since your DD is going to be a senior. That's a girl who deserves to graduate. {{{Hugs}}} I'm praying that it all works out somehow.

 

[two4ruff]

They will eventually see the error in this, but unfortuantely for the kids and the aides, it will take a year or two (or a lawsuit) to realize it won't work.

 

[amid chaos]

What you are speaking of is called "Inclusion". Our town made the switch a few years ago and it seems to be working wonderfully. The majority of the special need kids and their parents love it.
Inclusion does NOT work for every child and for those children special arrangements are made to keep them in a resource room for whatever amount of time during the day is necessary.

 

[CRB#33]

Many of the classes in our district are "inclusive." There is also an aide in these classrooms.

It does make a big difference.

 

[missypie]

As the mom of an 11th grader, you're more experienced than I am. You need to raise holy hell and not sign off at your DD's ARD. If you think you need an advocate, hire one to go to the meeting with you, or see if you can find a volunteer. Good luck!

 

[CourtasanSatine]

I was in Special Ed all through HS and the aide's helped me through most of the math(I was in the program where I went to the resorce room for help when needed)

 

[Claudia1]

We've had inclusion for years....... this is more than inclusion. With inclusion, the students have resources that facilitate their work to allow for success in a gen. ed. classroom. Often it is an aide but sometimes by direct intervention by the Resource teacher. DD has been "included" in the majority of her classes but has always had a safety net of some type.

What is going to happen next year is to put the kids in a gen. Ed. classroom with 1 teacher for 30 or more students to support as well as teach some classes directly. Not much of a safety net, IMHO, and impossible to be two places at one time.

While my DD is at risk academically, DH and I are able to provide resources outside of school that can help. I am concerned with some of the EH students that require specific behavioral techniques, some of the autistic students that are rigid in their approach, and some of the mildly MI students that could be ridiculed.

I'm still waiting to hear the final plan. I'm hoping that it will not be as bad as I fear. Some students just cannot function in a general setting.

 

[shortbun]

Your fears are well based Claudia. As a school bus driver, it's
hard to keep the MI students from being ridiculed. I just had
a student suspended from the bus for 5 days because of it.
I had to insist with the principal that radical action be taken,
he was simply going to conference the parents but parents
REALLY need to be inconvenienced to understand the serverity
of their children's actions in this case. I just will not tolerate it but
not all drivers or teachers take a stand like I do.

 

[ripleysmom]

Claudia, check your daughter's IEP to see if the aides are noted on there. Tell the other parents to check theirs as well.

If the aides are noted then just do not agree to changing the IEP during your annual meeting. The current IEP would then have pendency. That means the district MUST continue to provide services at the current level set in the IEP until an impartial hearing could be held to see if the services would remain.

If they are not noted then I would begin a campaign to the School Board to let them know how many children will be at risk and the possible consequences of this decision.

Reducing the classroom help may lower their graduation rates as children drop out without the additional services. It is bad for property values and with NCLB coming along something I would avoid.

It may also create additional expense for the district as children take longer to complete high school. In NYS the district must educate the child to either graduation or the age of 21. If children are staying longer, that increases class sizes and causes other problems. If they go for a GED, the district must provide those services too.

I would also contact your State Ed department to see if there are any other options available to you. Sometimes districts forget that they are subject to Federal and State rules and regulations.

 

[tw1nsmom]

Special ed. is a federally mandated program. If it has been determined that your (or any child) needs assistance, an aide, to progress in his/her education, then the school district is legally obligated to provide them with the necesary resources. There is extra federal funding that can be requested, but budgetary constraints are not an excuse for non-compliance. Assuming that at least some of the students have an aide listed on their IEP, your superintendent would be breaking a federal law. I would contact someone on a federal level (dept. of education?) and contact local lawyers/media immediately.

When I was in graduate school fo education one of my professors was a superintendent for a local school. He told us that they do what THEY think is right or appropriate even if they know it breaks rules or laws. That is, until someone sues them and they are forced to comply with the rules.