Houston - School expands for students of all needs

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I wish more private mainstream schools would work to include older kids with special needs, like some of the Lutheran Academies...but I understand their struggle with the concept. It would be hard but I think it could be done.

School expands for students of all needs

Jewish academy to invite youths with disabilities to join their private program

By JENNIFER RADCLIFFECopyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Nov. 28, 2008, 10:49PM

STEVE CAMPBELL CHRONICLE

Dr. Shulamis Pollak, Beren Academy's director of guidance, views a Star of 16-year-old Avishai Levy made from craft materials Friday. Students at the M. Beren Academy in southwest Houston are like family. They share the same culture and religion. They study, play and volunteer together. But administrators at the 325-student Jewish Orthodox day school would like to find ways to expand the tight-knit group to include more youngsters with special needs. Like many private schools, the Beren Academy struggles to provide a wide range of special education services. While they accept students with some learning disabilities, they turn away those with severe disabilities because of budget constraints and staffing limitations. These students usually end up in pricey private schools designed specifically to serve special-needs students or in public school. "Effectively, they're excommunicated, almost," said Lichtman, director of the National Jewish Council for Disabilities. "Not intentionally, but pragmatically, they're just not part of the group." The challenge of incorporating students with special needs into a Judaic school is harder than at other types of private schools, experts say, because of the tremendous academic requirements of the curriculum, including learning Hebrew and attending classes about law and texts in the language. Missing out on the day school environment is a major blow to families of children with disabilities, Lichtman said. The Institute for Jewish Families with Special Needs, formed recently to help fill service gaps for some of Houston's more than 50,000 Jewish residents, is backing the push for expanded school opportunities.

Pilot program

But it was Beren students who brainstormed their campus's initial step — a pilot program that starting in January will invite a handful of 9- to 15-year-old students with special needs to attend classes on the campus for about 90 minutes a week. Students will be mainstreamed with Beren youngsters to forge friendships and study their shared religion. "It's very organic. Families were coming forward and asking us what we could do to help," said Ari Segal, head of the school. "These are kids and families that are part of our community." A decade or two ago, Segal said, he doubts families of children with serious disabilities would have considered paying the $11,000 to $15,000 in tuition. Now, the mind-set has changed. Parents are willing to pay, but most Jewish day schools don't have the necessary resources, such as speech therapists or self-contained classrooms. "I sense there's a groundswell now of parents who can afford to pay it or are willing to take out loans," Segal said. "That's a newer development in our world, and it's an amazing development." Sugar Land parent Taibel — who has two children at Beren and one at a Fort Bend Independent School District campus — said she's looking forward to enrolling her 9-year-old daughter with special needs into the weekly program.

Learning to be patient

A double organ transplant recipient, has developmental delays and speech problems because of a birth defect. In public school, she has access to a classroom aide and other extra help. "If all things were equal, she'd probably be in a Jewish day school, but you have to look for the right fit for your kid," Taibel said, adding her daughter doesn't grasp some religious concepts as quickly as her two other children, who are exposed to them regularly at Beren. Educators said Beren students stand to gain as much as — if not more than — the students with special needs who will join them on campus for class. "You learn a lot of things about being patient and you learn how to deal with people who are different," said 16-year-old Beren junior Yoshur, who has volunteered with special-needs children. "There's a misconception about how much they can do. They're like you. It's just harder for them." Officials at Beren say they have a dream of creating an entire program for students with disabilities. But they're struggling to figure how it could work at affordable rates. The obstacles are overwhelming, administrators said. This new program, called Yad B'Yad, which means "hand in hand," is a good first step. "We were just feeling we weren't doing enough for people with special needs," said Shulamis Pollak, Beren's director of guidance. "We feel like it's a baby step in terms of the larger picture, but it's such a big step in terms of the message."

jennifer.radcliffe@...

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