Parents against Parents over Special Education
My New Jersey town has a group for parents of special education children that provides information and activities and promotes advocacy and awareness. In Cherry Hill, New Jersey, there are now two groups for special needs children, an article in the May 29th Courier Post Online reports. The Cherry Hill Special Education Parent-Teacher Association (SEPTA) was founded four years ago, has some 140 members, and has been “generally supportive of the district’s decision to do away with some full-day, one-on-one teaching assistants at the start of the next school year in favor of assisting each student for part of the school day.” Teachers can join SEPTA, which “considers itself as a liaison to the administration.” A newly formed group, the Cherry Hill Special Education Alliance (SEA), is made up of parents only and, while it tends to focus on autism, also advocates for students with other special needs. SEA is “suspicious” about the school district’s plan to lower the number of aides, up to 27 of whom are being eliminated. (Cherry Hill has about 12,000 students, 14.5 of whom have special needs, according to 2006 figures.)
The SEA parents’ concern is about the district saying that it will only provide a student with an aide for part of the school day. As parent Kathi Magee put it, it is not simply that a child might need help in a specific subject such as math; a child needs “‘help with social skills throughout the day.’” Magee’s 7-year-old son, Connor, is a “first-grader with high-functioning autism.” Magee also notes that
“It’s double-talk on (the district’s) part. They say each child’s IEP will be followed, but they started writing the IEPs so they don’t call for one-on-one aides.”
…………
Special Education/Student Services Director Israela Franklin said assigning specific percentages of assistance to students was in each child’s best interest.
“It gives us a lot of flexibility. There is no intent to cut anything, but to maintain the integrity of the IEPs,” Franklin said.
“Assigning specific percentages of assistance” might give “us” (= the school district in the above quote) “a lot of flexibility,” but (since the subject here is education), the goal would seem to be not to make a situation “flexible” for administrators’ needs, but “successful” for the students’ educational needs. For myself as a parent of a special needs child, I am much less worried about maintaining the “integrity” of my son’s IEP as maintaining his academic and other progress. The IEP can be revised so that it reflects what he needs.
It is true, of course, that not every special needs student needs a one-on-one aide, but (in the interest of “flexibility”), it would seem well for a school district to make the option a possibility, should it be determined (and parental views are crucial, of course). It seems most of all unfortunate that, in this case, parents are in conflict with other parents and, even more, that parents of special needs children are in conflict with parents of special needs children: Thus divided, we can be conquered, and then who will stand up for the needs of our children?
16 opinions for Parents against Parents over Special Education
Kimberly
May 29, 2007 at 4:28 pm
I completely agree with the SEA’s stance on this issue. It sounds like this educational system is very old school education. The latest and greatest educational trend is student lead, NOT teacher/administrator lead. As a parent of a special needs child, I am in complete agreement with the SEA. Especially a child with behavior/social needs, they may need special assistance in getting through the math class which could spike a behavior issue. How can we expect our children to reach their full potential if the school systems keeps doing what is right for the school system and not for the individual children? Isn’t that what the IEP and No Child Left Behind is all about? Parents really need to be advocates for their children and not get swept up in the system’s “double speek” Keep up the great work SEA!
SageRave
May 29, 2007 at 4:33 pm
The elimination of the one on one paraprofessional might not be a simple budgetary necessity. Many places are eliminating one on one paraprofessionals because there are few paras who will work in that set of circumstances. Most are more likely work in the self contained classrooms because it is easier.
Mamaroo
May 29, 2007 at 6:51 pm
At our IEP meeting the case manager shared that the district is trying to cut back on the number of paras used. She made sure that Roo’s teacher “exaggerated Roo’s need for a para” in his write up in order to completely justify the need. I couldn’t imagine Roo not having a para ever. I can see where the district will be heading in their thinking of his need for one the more he improves. A future fight I can foresee. Yes, we parents need to come together as a group to continue to advocate for our children.
butch
May 29, 2007 at 8:58 pm
i am always amazed at what a school system will come up with to keep from telling you what they are really doing.[wouldn’t it be great to be allowed to sit in on some of these staff meetings when they come up with this BS ] what a bunch of crap !! you should have heard the excuses our system [wake co. pub. schools raleigh nc] when we asked for an aide to help keep our son organized [even after this was recommended by our autism experts from UNC -DIV. TEACCH] we almost cried what a terrible thing to put already struggling parents thru. i think it is totally unacceptable what parents of autistic kids have to go through to get the least little bit from the school system i hope this coming generation of parents with autistic kids holds the entire school systems and society accountable for the way our children are mistreated and abused. it is just another form of discrimination that is being supported and allowed by these large instituions and society as a whole SHAME ON THEM !! our kids deserve what all of us demand and get equal treatment and opportunities
Kristina Chew, PhD
May 29, 2007 at 9:16 pm
I thought the parent in the artice (Kathi Magee) really spoke to the reason that many children need a 1:1 aide: It is not always the academics that are the challenge, but simply being in the classroom and all the complicated social situations and interactions (that my son needs much help in navigating, for sure). I was rather surprised—or maybe I ought not to be—-at the tone of the school district administrators about their decisions.
Joeymom
May 29, 2007 at 10:13 pm
Our district would rather have parents sue than hire an aide for anyone, except children who are severely physically disabled (and even then they cut the corners- we have a set of severely disabled twins, and they have a single aide to slit between them, “since they are in teh same classroom anyway.”)
The idea that an aide would be provided to a high-functioning individual in this system is laughable.
Go SEA.
Kristina Chew, PhD
May 29, 2007 at 11:14 pm
Sounds like someone is making a lot of assumptions about “needs” and “individualized education.”
livsparents
May 30, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Sometimes I think the school system needs to be reminded that “least restrictive environment” applies to the student and NOT the school system. I’d hate to think that schools are thinking of their budgetary constraints BEFORE they think of our children. I know they are but we have to strive to live in a better world than that…
Bill
Niksmom
May 30, 2007 at 6:21 pm
I know this can be such a loaded, emotional topic. I have been very fortunate lately in some new experiences with my son’s school. So as not to “hijack” Kristina’s blog, I’ll post my story on my own blog sometime very soon (hopefully tonight, if I can stay awake past dark! LOL).
Stu Chaifetz
May 31, 2007 at 12:30 am
Hi,
As one of the founders of SEA, I want to give you a greater understanding of why we formed and what we are doing.
I first became an activist for special education last year, when the Cherry Hill school board cut $500,000 from Special Education funding (I fasted for a week to bring media attention to this and the need for more state funding). Earlier this year, some of us began to see that things were going to get worse. This included reading a letter written by our superintendent that blamed special education and specifically SE aides for the budget crisis. This, along with some other issues that arose, led about a dozen of us to realize that we needed to be activists, and so was born the Special Education Alliance.
The first thing we did was to show up as a group to a Board of Education meeting, where I spoke, stated our concerns, and said that while we would work with the board and school administration, we would stand for our kids and fight against any more cuts. One BOE member told us that they had no plans for any cuts - but we had at least made our presence known.
That so many of us showed up at a meeting sent shockwaves to the Administration. We immediately saw that people started talking negatively about us, and even tried to convince some parents not to work with us. That’s how I knew we were on to something.
During this time, staffing of aides for self contained autism classes became a serious and personal issue for myself and others in our organization. This was because the class that our sons were in had only two aides for five young autistic children. To quote one of the aides, the room was in “Chaos”; not only did my son begin to regress because of this, but at least two others did as well. It was a true disaster.
The election for the BOE just happened to occur soon after we formed, and, seeing it as an excellent opportunity to spotlight special education, I ran for a seat. Even though I had a tiny fraction of the resources the other slates had, by using the newspapers and the debate, I was able to make special education the number one issue of the campaign. In response to my statements, the Administration created a presentation that stated that the budget “Includes NO cuts in special education programs or services.”
Just one month later, the very same Administration, run by a superintendent who reaps a quarter of a million dollars a year in salary and benefits, ordered the mass firings of twenty-seven low paid special education assistants that directly help disabled children. Not only did the school Administration deliberately deceive parents and voters in the election, but their actions will cause harm, for three, four and five year old children with autism and other special needs simply cannot withstand this terrible loss of resources.
Although I have been an activist for many years fighting against animal cruelty, and I have seen some truly despicable things, I have never seen something as depraved, dishonest and dishonorable as the how the Cherry Hill School Administration has acted.
SEA will not sit idly by, and let this injustice stand, for it is the most vulnerable amongst us who suffer for it.
Stuart Chaifetz
Special Education Alliance
Akian5@comcast.net
Kathi Magee
May 31, 2007 at 12:44 am
Kristina,
Someone forwarded me your blog. I am the parent in Cherry Hill that was mentioned in the Courier Post article. Unfortuantely, Cherry Hill has changed many things in the way our special needs children receive services. It is just plain sick what this town is doing to our children!
What the article did not mention, but I will share with your readers is that they are forcing students into regular ed settings, in the name of “Least Restrictive Environment” and then eliminating all of the support services required to maintain them in that setting.
The district is making global policy changes that go against IDEA. They changed one term in the IEP that led to this latest issue. Instead of writing “1:1 Assistant” they began writing “Individual Assistance.” Slick trick on the district’s part! It led to many children that require a 1:1 Assistant going without.
For my own son, this led to setbacks in his progress. He was experiencing episodes of being non-verbal, grunting when he needed something. He lost skills, his frustration tollerance decreased, he had behavioral challenges and increased frustration. He became a flight risk and eventually began to threaten suicide. Still, they would not assign a 1:1 Assistant!
We had some sharp parents in our town that realized they were not the only ones having difficulties like this. They began to ban together and the group grew quickly in size.
These were parents that tried to go thru the special ed PTA for support and advocacy. They received no help at all. Cherry Hill SEPTA has really just become a mouthpiece for the district. They do not support special needs children or their parents. They basically plan bowling trips and regergitate district rhetoric!
The parents that formed SEA are some of the most compassionate and caring parents you would ever want to meet. They began supporting each other and each other’s kids. None of them think in terms of “my child” it is now “our children.”
CH SEPTA has their annual elections next week. So it should get real interesting!
I began writing the Autism Blog for the Courier Post and began addressing some of the special ed concerns in our town. I am hoping that putting this in the spotlight will force the district to change their ways.
If you or your readers want to check out the Autism blog, here is a link. Would you mind if I posted a link to your blog?
Kathi Magee
CHSEPTA Charter Member
May 31, 2007 at 12:50 am
My name is Kathleen Dallara Pennell and I have a correction for your blog, parents are not battling each other. This is an election with candidates of very different philosophies.
CHSEPTA’s original mission was hijacked by a few power hungry self-serving parents. The same few got themselves elected every year. Under the current leadership the Cherry Hill Twp Schools actions were not to be questioned, given full approval and we were told to avoid controversy.
Many good parents are members of CHSEPTA, they have worked tirelessly to make a difference. To run for office or vote in CHSEPTA you have to be a member. The new outsider slate has seasoned parent members running side by side with younger parents. Because we believe, CHSEPTA can do a better job, provide a real web presence, improve communications and work with the administration by open truthful exchanges. CHSEPTA needs to become an inclusive organization with open communications, community education, and supports to professionals. Our school district has a relatively new administration and new BOE members making critical changes in all levels of Special Education.
CHSEPTA is where Special Education families, the community, special education professionals, BOE, administrators, medical and educational professionals, paraprofessionals and classroom teachers can all work together to provide a level playing field for Special Needs students.
Kristina Chew, PhD
May 31, 2007 at 2:26 am
Kathleen, thanks for the correction; the news article I cited used the word “rift” to describe the differences among parents and the situation as described in the article did give the impression of some disagreements and conflicting views. Thanks for the clarifications.
Kathi, I’d much appreciate it if you posted a link to my blog and I will be following yours.
Stuart, thanks for all the details. We have lived in a few different towns in New Jersey and what you describe does not sound uncommon.
Kathleen Dallara Pennell
May 31, 2007 at 11:09 pm
Kristina,
I also wrote a letter to the editor of the Courier Post because Special Education parents do very much support each other in Camden County. Parent to parent support has gotten thru the past 15 years of advocacy. while it is true CHSEPTA has poor leadership,
a few rotten apples can drag a whole district down by painting a dishonest rosy picture of CH special education methods. It blows my mind because for the life of me I don’t know what motivates parents in leadership to become puppets for the administration. Turning a deaf ear to parent problems and neglect opportunities to improve education instead prefer closed door communications that not even the whole board is included in.
When I attended conferences in Brick Township years ago, I saw parents of Autistic kids working with local and state legislaters to provide what the children needed. My vision is based on that model to provide educational supports for all special needs children.
Instead of thoughtful planning for Autistic students, Cherry Hill has a history of horse n pony shows with “pilot programs” for a just few students and neglect many others. In an affluent township like ours it is a shameful secret that they do not provide needed education for autistic and special education students without a legal & emotional struggle. Often our kids are used as scape goats for administrations budgetary concerns.
I believe all students education comes before any extras including district paid trips, elite programs, hiring administrators to new positions that they do not have job descriptions, contests, t shirts, football fields, and other expenses.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jun 1, 2007 at 10:03 am
A few years ago, when some programs for gifted students were going to be cut in a neighboring town, a resident said at a school board meeting that she did not see why such programs were cut while so many funds were being put into special education—for students who would not have achievements like getting into fancy colleges. (Not that autistic students cannot do that……) What troubled me especially was how parents were set again parents, and students again students, in this.
Kathleen Dallara Pennell
Jun 1, 2007 at 10:22 am
Interesting you have mentioned the two groups with the least support in education: 1. The disabled student 2. The gifted student
Our culture needs to shift their way of thinking about education. It is possible to invent reverse inclusion by combining these two groups.
The old thinking before early intervention & effective therapies was that low functioning students had poor outcomes. It was a self fulfilling phopecy.
Today students with Asperger’s Syndrome who have benefited from early interventions introduce a new student in the debate, “the gifted but disabled”. In Autism the Asperger’s Syndrome or High Functioning Autism population can be brilliant and gifted. They go on to college, self advocate, write books, bring new perspectives to the world. We need to mine that gold.
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