ABUSE AND WAREHOUSING IN PARMA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

[Guest guest]

There is more on this topic at www.ohioschoolwatch101.com

ABUSE AND WAREHOUSING IN PARMA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

It is time for the curtains to be pulled back on the programs offered

in the Pleasant Valley Elementary School, by the Parma City School

District. The Winkelman family has been struggling attempting to

obtain appropriate programming for their son , and the District

has been engaging in the most egregious and despicable conduct in the

hearings as they defend their programs. Each of the District

witnesses spends time with three or more lawyers getting their stories

" straight. " Truth does not get brought to the hearing table by the

District.

The District maintained in the hearing for the 2006/07 school year

that they were offering a program rich in language to meet the needs

of Winkelman. Ms. Preisling, the classroom teacher testified as

follows:

Question by Attorney: You indicated that the students in your

classroom that are on the autistic spectrum don't get speech and

language services every day; is that true?

Answer by Preisling: Not directly by the speech therapist.

Question by Attorney: Do they get an indirect speech service every

day?

Answer by Preisling: In my classroom, I follow through with the

goals, the speech goals that are on their IEP. I incorporate it

within the classroom setting whatever their speech goals are. I don't

work on obviously some of the more speechy type things but --

This is the furthest thing from the truth. You have to listen to the

recording to understand how devoid of truth Preislings answers were

during this hearing. During a 25 minute period of instructional time,

no language service or instruction of any kind was provided in the

classroom. In fact, Preisling and her aides did everything to enforce

silence in the class. The misrepresentations that Impartial Hearing

Officers are being fed at hearings are likely the same type of

misrepresentations being fed to parents at IEP meetings.

School Watch has obtained a recording of this " language rich "

classroom and the instruction taking place within. You have to listen

to this recording to believe it. Not only are the children not

encouraged in this classroom to express themselves vocally --

something encouraged in children with autism and emerging language

skills -- but Parma's staff member silence these children in the

classroom when they do vocalize.

Listen to this recording to the screams of a youngster injured while

physically restrained in a Rifton chair. (A Rifton chair is a

mechanical restraint outlawed in many states school programs.) Here is

Preisling's testimony about the injury that occurred to the student in

her class: FOUND AT 4:24

RECORDING FOUND IN THE DOCUMENT SETTINGS

Question by Attorney: You don't recall a child being injured at

all during the course of that morning session?

Answer by Priesling: I don't. That's not to say it didn't

happen. I just don't recall.

What kind of teacher has a child injured in her classroom, and has no

recollection of it?

Listen to the disruption to the classroom caused by the public

announcement. Are these children's sensory needs being addressed?

Listen to the silence as NO INSTRUCTION IS PROVIDED to this class of

eight students for the entire period the parent was able to observe

the classroom. GO TO 6:25

Let's put an end to the abusive special education programs being

operated by the Parma City School District. Let's awaken the City and

State to these children trapped every day in these " warehouses " with

untrained staff. Let's hold the teaching staff accountable for

providing instruction, rather than allowing them to stifle the

language development of these children with oppressive practices.

Let's shake the Ohio Department of Education up so that they properly

monitor the defective programs in Parma and hold people accountable.

Too many children's futures are at stake.

If you find this recording as disturbing to you as it was to the

School Watch staff, share a copy of this story and the link to the

recording with anyone you think may have an interest in it. Here are

some individuals who may be interested in your thoughts on these

abusive practices. Feel free to contact these government officials

with your concerns.

Parma City School District Board Members

Ohio School Board Members

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