reporter

[Guest guest]

I have a meeting tomorrow with a newspaper reporter from Abilene . It

must be a slow news day because she wants to do a Sunday full page

feature story about sp. ed and how it affects family life, education,

community etc. I will tell her about how a child with autism can be

charged with a terroristic threat. (Sorry, personal issue.) I also

want to talk with her about how mediation is a joke - there is no

enforcement even when you get a settlement, and about how due process

is biased against parents. Anything else anyone on this list wants me

to bring up in the interview? Sorry this isn't much lead time. I just

got the call a few minutes ago and the interview is at 9:00 in the

morning. Let me hear from the group. Pam

[Guest guest]

Hi Pam,

I think a reporting on the percentage of kids in the

Juvenile Justice System with learning disabilities

might be an interesting thread. I wonder how much it

cost tax payers for kids to be held in a TYC facility

not to mention the emotional cost to families, kids,

and society for poor outcomes. How does this cost

compare to the cost of appropriate educational

services. The purpose of IDEA is to prepare

individuals for further education, employment and

independent living.

Tax payers are not spared any expense the cost is

magnified and shifted from school districts to the

Justice System.

The special ed employees I encountered were nothing

but gatekeepers whose primary focus was keeping short

tern cost down by denying and limiting service. Many

teachers resent the extra efforts they are asked to

provide creating a hostile dysfunctional learning

environment. In all fairness many teachers are asked

to do more than is possible in a given day. These

teachers are also to blame for not taking a stand.

Teacher unions are strong enough to protect the jobs

of negligent and incompetent individuals why not stand

up and for the changes needed. If my employer asked me

to do the impossible I would take a stand or leave.

I would like to see a story with some hard numbers on

this subject.

--- willsonpam wrote:

> I have a meeting tomorrow with a newspaper reporter

> from Abilene . It

> must be a slow news day because she wants to do a

> Sunday full page

> feature story about sp. ed and how it affects family

> life, education,

> community etc. I will tell her about how a child

> with autism can be

> charged with a terroristic threat. (Sorry, personal

> issue.) I also

> want to talk with her about how mediation is a joke

> - there is no

> enforcement even when you get a settlement, and

> about how due process

> is biased against parents. Anything else anyone on

> this list wants me

> to bring up in the interview? Sorry this isn't much

> lead time. I just

> got the call a few minutes ago and the interview is

> at 9:00 in the

> morning. Let me hear from the group. Pam

>

>