Last night at a school board meeting in Iowa City, a meeting where it was announced that special education teachers are going to be cut from one of our city’s high schools I stood up and asked the simple question: “What strategies do you have in place to assure that IEPs and basic services will be provided to students who need special education support?” I was greeted with silence from the school board.
After the silence had grown embarrassingly long a representative from the school administration got up and explained that they now have fewer special ed students than they did last year and therefore, with this in mind, they don’t need the teachers.
I pointed out that two years ago there were too many special ed kids for the teachers and guidance officers to manage.
I was assured that these students have now left the school district.
By my lights that assertion means that people got fed up and left town. That’s not an unreasonable conclusion to draw.
I lost my temper. I told the school board they should feel ashamed of themselves. I told the school administrator that the apparent disappearance of special ed students from the rolls doesn’t speak well of a school system that is anecdotally not doing a good job when it comes to special ed support.
I looked bug eyed and aggressive. My wife told me so on the way home. And as always she was correct.
My problem is that I can’t escape the knowledge that there are real lives in the balance; that people with disabilities are all too often accorded the dregs of whatever happens to be at hand; that there are parents and kids who don’t have my advantages and who cannot speak for themselves.
John 14:23, ”If a man love Me, he will keep My Word: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
I console myself that I’m keeping my word. My anger is righteous which means its driven by love for those who are weak.
S.K.
Planet of the Blind 
As a parent in a school district that chased all the kids with cognitive disabilities out of the district a few years ago and worried now that I can’t really create the transition supports my daughter needs without leaving the district ourselves because she is the only one, I thank you.
It is our community that I am trying to teach her to live in and we may have to leave there to do it… yuck.
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Good on you, sir.
I, personally, am growing enraged over this trend in both private and public enterprise-cutting the marrow without excising the fat. Every organization has a core function- if your budget is under stress, you cut football before you cut education.
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I echo – good for you.I always think of Christ tossing those tables around the temple – and I think watching school districts save money on IEP programs by denying children educational opportunities would make Jesus weep.
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Good for you, Stephen. You are an inspiration! And you too, William!
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I am glad you got angry at the school board meeting. Too many parents of children with so called special education needs do not assert themselves. The reasons for this are understandable, largely fear their child will be abused, but the long term consequences are profound. Kids must be taught how to asset themselves and understand what their civil rights are. Long ago I came home from school after the first day I had to use a wheelchair. I told my mother there was no handicapped parking and felt sorry for myself. She told me to park in the principals spot the next day. If he had a problem with what I did he should call my home. I did this and was sent to the principal’s office during first period. My mom showed up, a heated discussion ensued and handicap parking was creates that afternoon. The point here is that I learned how to defend myself and the lesson learned had life long implications. One cannot run away from problems and hope another school district has an adequate number of special education teachers.
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