School sports program for disabled taking shape

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School sports program for disabled taking shape

By - IV

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-

md.disabled31aug31,0,4995759.story

With three years to implement a new law requiring land schools to

provide disabled students access to sports programs, state education

officials say they will spend the coming academic year collecting

data and drafting regulations in hopes of setting up a smooth

introduction of the measure.

In the spring, the General Assembly passed the bill, titled Fitness

and Athletics Equity for Students with Disabilities, which requires

schools to allow athletes with disabilities to play wheelchair

basketball or tennis, to swim or to otherwise play sports, either

among themselves or side by side with able-bodied students.

This year, state officials will be working to draft regulations that

will eventually be shared with athletic organizations, school boards

and school superintendents, said Carol Ann Baglin, assistant state

superintendent with the department's Division of Special

Education/Early Intervention Services.

The legislation requires local school systems to submit their plans

to the State Department of Education, which will investigate

complaints and could sideline noncompliant teams or withhold money

from schools or school systems.

Before school systems can get to that point, Baglin and other top

education officials will complete a series of meetings to set up

parameters for implementation. In September and October, Baglin will

meet with leaders from special education and physical education

groups.

In February, Baglin will send a progress report to the General

Assembly. In the spring, Baglin will have a " comprehensive briefing "

with physical education supervisors informing them how to implement

adapted activities for students with disabilities.

" We've been meeting regularly every other week, " Baglin said. " It's

working fine. "

State education officials initially opposed the legislation, saying

it would require school systems to pay for extra employees - an

estimated $2.8 million statewide - to ensure compliance. During this

academic year, which will be devoted to planning, school systems will

be required to bear little, if any, of the cost.

Next year, school systems will begin to notice a difference, Baglin

said.

" The implementation plan will be in place, " she said. " We will have

collected data on the number of youth with disabilities participating

in athletics and mainstream education. We will have developed a guide

for adapted PE and athletics. "

Among those who testified at General Assembly hearings on the bill in

the spring was Tatyana McFadden, a wheelchair athlete who attended

Atholton High School in County. In 2004, she won two medals in

track at the Paralympics in Athens, Greece.