Special Education Programs, Private Placements, Under Assault
As a special education teacher, it breaks my heart to hear that special education is facing cuts. A little known fact is that my first teaching experience was at a private psychiatric day school that took public school students who were too mentally ill or too emotionally/behaviorally disabled to attend public schools. These students could not be served by a public school. They needed the support and specialised instruction that we provided. We had a full time psychologist at the school of about 40 students. We were all specially trained to work with the students. Every classroom had a counselor assigned to it. I am devastated that now students will have to remain in public schools where they don't belong, don't succeed, and where the learning of the other students will succeed. Having been on both sides of the educational divide, there are special education students who don't belong in an inclusion classroom or even in a public school. It is a shame when money decides what is best for children.
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