There are a number of rules and procedures that must be followed when dealing with students in special education who receive instruction through their individualized education plan (IEP). These students in special education are protected under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which is legislation that presides over the special education process for students until they reach the legal age of twenty-one. These laws that ensure that special education students receive a quality, free education but they can complicate the discipline process for school administrators.
A normal school day in March 2008 changed drastically for a variety of stakeholders in the Sigourney Community School District. It was near the end of my first year in Sigourney as a special education teacher in Sigourney. I happened to be in the principal's office discussing special education student scheduling options for the upcoming 2008-2009 school year when our city police chief and county chief deputy, accompanied by area state patrol officers all entered our school office. They were their for a unannounced school safety check. During this check officers from the city, county, and state police departments first went from one car to the next checking vehicles for alcohol, drugs, and weapons. After their walk through the school parking lot the officers made their way into the school where they conducted locker searchers from various According to our building principal, Jeff Kirby (2010) , this was the beginning to his “worst day ever as an administrator”.
According to Superintendent of schools Todd Abrahamson (2010), at the end of the day's school safety check, officers wrote citations to seven different students of the Sigourney C...
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...olid evidence that the laws that ensure special education students receive a quality, free education can be followed and positive outcomes can result.
References
Abrahamson, Todd. (2010, March 22). Superintendent of Sigourney CSD. Personal Interview.
Alexander, D. & Alexander, K. (2009). The Law of Schools, Students and Teachers in a Nut Shell. Rochester, New York. West Publishing.
IDEA Parent Guide. (2006). National Center for Learning Disabilities. Retrieved from: http://www.ncld.org/images/stories/downloads/parent_center/idea2004parentguide.pdf, March 22, 2010.
Kirby, Jeff. (2010, March 19). Sigourney CSD High School Principal Personal Interview.
Walters, Bill. (2010, March 22). Great Prairie AEA Special Education Director.
Telephone Interview.
Osborn, Deb. (2010, March 18). Sigourney CSD Special Education Instructor.
Personal Interview.
No greater obligation is placed on school officials than to protect the children in their charge from foreseeable dangers, whether those dangers arise from the careless acts or intentional transgressions of others. Although the overarching mission of a board of education is to educate, its first imperative must be to do no harm to the children in its care. A board of education must take reasonable measures to assure that the teachers and administrators who stand as surrogate parents during the day are educating, not endangering, and protecting, not exploiting, vulnerable children (Frugis v. Bracigliano, 2003).
What originally set out to be a policy deemed to create a safer environment in our schools has communities now taking part in what many ...
As societal pressures for higher education increase, more emphasis has been placed on the importance of a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. This has led to the increased enrollment of students with learning disabilities over the past decade. According to a recent survey from the National Clearinghouse on Postsecondary Education for Individuals with Disabilities, one in eleven full-time first-year students entering college in 1998 self-reported a disability. This translates to approximately 154,520 college students, or about 9% of the total number of first-year freshmen, who reported a wide range of disabilities, ranging from attention deficit disorder to writing disabilities (Horn).
Parents play a critical role in the planning of educational programs for their children. In efforts to increase parental involvement, instructions were added to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that mandated active parental participation during the preparation of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). According to Lo (2008), when IDEA was reauthorized in 2004, additional parental rights were added that required the attendance of parents and every member of an IEP Team, unless both the parent and school agree to an absence and document that agreement in writing. That mandate emphasizes the importance of parental participation in educational programming for their children.
Another major reason why juveniles are ending up in the juvenile justice system is because many schools have incorporate the zero tolerance policy and other extreme school disciplinary rules. In response to violent incidents in schools, such as the Columbine High School massacre, school disciplinary policies have become increasingly grave. These policies have been enacted at the school, district and state levels with the hopes of ensuring the safety of students and educators. These policies all rely on the zero tolerance policy. While it is understandable that protecting children and teachers is a priority, it is not clear that these strict policies are succeeding in improving the safety in schools.
Special education is a large part of the education system, which includes the mentally retarded, people with learning disabilities, the emotionally disturbed, hearing impaired, visually impaired, etc. Many people fail to include this system as one that can possibly involve discrimination, but those enrolled in special education has increased among all racial classifications. Between 1980 and 1990, the entire population enlisted in special education has increased. European American increased by 6%, African Americans increased by 13%, Hispanic Americans increased by 53%, and Asian Americans/Pacific Americans increased by 107.8% (Ford, Obiakor, p. 8). In the end, it is these students who ultimately experience low rates of employment, low income, and growing rates of incarceration. Another survey indicates t...
Rachel’s parent disagreed and with the Districts decision of half time special education placement and placed her in a private school in a general education classroom with supports where she was successfully meeting her IEP goals. Rachel’s parents also appealed the district’s placement decision to a California Special Education hearing officer. After fourteen days of hearing, the hearing officer ruled in favor of the parents and ordered the District to place Rachel in a general education classroom with support services. The District appealed the decision and the courts had to decide if the decision made by the hearing officer complied with the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). The courts ruled in favor of the defendant finding that the appropriate placement for Rachel, under the IDEA, was in a general education classroom, with supplemental services, as a full time member of
The child with a learning disability is entitled under IDEA to receive the same quality of education and other services which are entitled to students without disabilities. The law states that the facilities for both kinds of students must be comparable and the necessary training materials and the appropriate equipment to impart the education must be provided to the student (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), n.d.).
Martinez, S. (2009). A system gone berserk: How are zero-tolerance policies really …..affecting schools? Preventing School Failure, 53(3), 153-157. Retrieved from …..http://search.proquest.com.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/docview/228530113?acco…..untid=6579
Fischer, L., Schimmel, D., & Stellman, L. (2007). Teachers and the law (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
In recent years, tragedies have been visited upon schools across the country. From Kentucky to Oregon to Colorado, the notion of schools as safe havens has been shattered by the sound of gunfire. These acts are not limited to any geographic regions or family backgrounds, nor do they have a single catalyst. Those who have committed such heinous acts have done so for different reasons, at different times, in different schools. But these acts of school violence have at least one thing in common- they have spurred all of us to take a look at what can be done to better protect children and teachers at school. Protecting our children is not simply a matter of public policy. It is a matter of strengthening basic values, of teaching children right from wrong, of instilling in them respect for others. We each have a responsibility to work to end youth violence and to keep schools safe for children and for those who teach them. Youth violence in many schools has reached universal proportions. It is not only happening in our high schools, it has also made its way into our elementary and middle schools. Everyone seems to have a different perspective on why there is such a problem with school safety. Some say it is the parents’ fault, some say it is the media, and others blame the schools. Yet, the question still remains. What can be done to make schools safer for the children and staff? One thing we need to do is learn to listen to our children and observe their behavior. According ...
IEP stands for Individualized Education Program. An IEP is a written document required for each child who is eligible to receive special education services. It is provided to a student who has been determined first to have a disability, and second, to need special education services because of that disability. An IEP is very important and should never be overlooked by anyone. The purpose of an IEP is to make sure that only students whose educational performance is affected by a disability receive special services. An individual program plan is designed to make sure that students get the kind of educational experience that they deserve; an experience that results in success. The end goals for students who are on an IEP are to be involved in
A conversation in my driveway with a close friend over three years ago made me consciously aware of the difficulties parents with children having disabilities face every day, as well as the common misconceptions about educating students with special needs. Education improves life, and everyone needs equal access to it. It is also well known that there is an issue with overrepresentation or underrepresentation and disproportionality of certain minority groups including English Language Learner (ELL), in special education. Nonetheless, what happens when legislators raise the standards for equal and better education for special education students? Today, students requiring specialized education services
The issue of school safety has become a controversial topic in the United States, due to tragic acts of violence occurring on a daily basis. American citizens should never have to cope with the negative impact of school violence, no matter how often they hear about the tragedies (Jones, "Parents" 1). In the past, schools were viewed as a safe place for children to get an education. Recently, the concern over violence in schools has taken a toll on many parents, school administrators, and legislatures (Eckland 1). Studies have shown that there are over 3 million acts of violence in American public schools each year. Not all occurrences are serious and deadly, but they occur on a daily basis throughout our country (Jones, “School” 6). This has caused many parents to worry about the well-being of their children while they are in class. This has also led to an increase in questions and concerns by parents and guardians. Many people have asked, “What are you doing about safety and security on my child’s campus” (Schimke 2). School violence is the cause of elevated worry and fear for their children, and school districts should enforce better security.
Education is a profession which requires a teacher to be able to communicate with a multitude of students on a variety of levels. There is not a class, or student for that matter, that is identical. Therefore, teachers must be able to identify and help educate students from all different types of backgrounds and at different levels. Teaching a singular subject presents difficulties, but teaching students with disabilities should not be one. There are three main teaching areas that need to be focused on when teaching a student with a learning disability. Teachers need to focus on the strategies that will assist students with reading comprehension skills, writing skills, and maintaining appropriate behaviors in a classroom setting.