Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/20186
dren who have disabilities. She says her school is a “model school” for full inclusion, and that it works extremely well most of the time. But sometimes it doesn’t. When children are put into classes that don’t fit their needs, even with an aide, they may become frustrated or even violent. And parents may be overstressed with the ev- eryday challenges they face as well. Some parents hire “advocates” from autism orga- nizations — often lawyers — to become in- volved in the decision-making regarding their child’s education. “All of us want what is best for kids,” says Thomas. “It’s very frustrating when teachers, school psychologists, counselors and others make recommendations — and parents choose to ignore them.” School districts are fearful of autism-relat- ed lawsuits. The Escondido Union School District, for example, advised teachers not to be interviewed for this story, even to high- light their excellent program for full inclu- sion. Teachers say administrators in their dis- trict expressed concern that a litigious parent might scrutinize a California Educator story on autism and find fault in teacher com- ments. Many educators statewide approached for this story say they would like to be inter- viewed, but are reticent to discuss autism. In June, the Supreme Court upheld a rul- ing that parents of special education chil- dren may seek government reimbursement for private school tuition, even if they have never received special education services in public schools. Nationally, about 90,000 special-education students are in private schools, most of them referred by their pub- lic schools, notes the New York Times. Here in California, parents of children with au- tism have requested that school districts re- imburse them for out-of-state education, for out-of-state travel to visit their children, and even for wear and tear on their automobiles or new tires for their cars. In 2004, the Manhattan Beach Unified School District paid nearly $7 million to a stu- dent with autism and his parents for failing to provide an “appropriate” education. Teachers in the district are forbidden to discuss the law- suit under the terms of the settlement. Thom- as, however, will say that special education costs related to autism are having a big impact on public education everywhere. “Special education costs are rising so fast that it affects every aspect of a school’s ability to educate all of our students and provide programs they need, as well as giving teachers a livable wage,” says Thomas. “Our special education costs in this district are 25 percent of our general fund for 12 percent of our student popula- tion, so it’s a significant impact.” Despite the original commitment of Con- gress to contribute 40 percent of the funding for states’ special education services under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Educa- tion Act), the federal government historically has provided only 8 percent of the funding, leaving state and local governments to fund the remainder of program costs, totaling ap- proximately $38 billion dollars nationally, ac- cording to the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), a nonprofit research and development organization that works to expand learning opportunities for individu- als with disabilities. “We love these kids and need adequate re- sources to educate them in the best way that we can,” says Thomas. “It’s time for the gov- ernment to step up and pay its fair share.” Programs for California Professionals in Education Designed to Advance Your Career degreeinfo@laverne.edu | laverne.edu Credentials and Certificates Bachelors Masters Doctoral College of Education and Organizational Leadership America’s One of 14 California Educator | NOVEMBER 2010 Best Colleges Forbes Magazine