Yeah, that is the part that gets me. Maybe they can read the print by feeling the ink, like Daredevil.
You'd be amazed QW, you know the school I am on the school board of has a $10M a year budget and $1M of that is spent on 8 students? We spent almost $250K a year on ONE student, who frankly and sadly will never be in a position to take advantage of her education..... But we were ordered by a court to provide all the things we provide her. At the expense of 800 other kids of course.
I'm not surprised, I doubt EZ would be either. This reminds me so much of the discussion we had regarding preschools, (Under Headstart topic, but not confined to that). Like preschool, I really have strong, positive feelings about inclusion and classes for special needs children.
I suppose the best way to begin this would be saying that I favor some additional costs in materials, support staff, specialists, to allow educable students to be educated. Thus the blind students should be able to use school owned devices that read the materials to them, be able to have braille materials, etc. The deaf/hearing impaired should have access to captioning of what is being said or accommodating devices to amplify/clarify audio. Children with low IQ's should have classes to allow the development of skills that prepare them for living independently or to the highest level they are able to achieve. Buildings, bathrooms, libraries, etc., should be accessible to the handicapped. Aids for kids with CP or other muscular/neurological problems, that do not effect their ability to learn are reasonable in most cases.
However, the schools and the people paying property taxes have picked up a burden that really is NOT sustainable. Medically fragile children and children that are not educable due to brain damage. To top it off, the NCLB Act also punishes schools that serve these children.
Years ago, when subbing I occasionally would work in 'self-contained special ed.' This actually would qualify as babysitting or nursing depending on the student. Thing is, most days there was the special ed. teacher, several aids, and at least 2 nurses for 3-7 students. One child was on a ventilator, she had her own nurse. She couldn't communicate obviously, though she seemed awake and in pain. I really don't know, I'm not a nurse.
There were several kids who could not control their bowels/bladder so they wore diapers. Aids would have to clean them up-they were 11-15 years old. Two of these kids were labeled severely autistic and would head bang/scream/run or walk in circles for hours.
Some of this of course is a result of parents not institutionalizing children as was done years ago, a very good thing. I applaud that. However, should providing respite/child care in the schools the way would should be doing this? I don't have the answers, but I am guessing that when the school's responsibility time runs out, these children then fall under social security. Why is it until 18 they are the local municipalities responsibility?
