"She just wants a friend"
Families push for full school days
for children with disabilities
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) – One Thursday morning in May, instead of sitting at a desk in her sixth-grade classroom in the Oregon mountains, Khloe Warne sat at a table in her mother’s bakery, doing her schoolwork on a laptop and watching her favorite clips of anime. (article)
Top Ten Things to Know
1. Khloe Warne's Story: Khloe Warne, a 12-year-old from Oregon diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and an anxiety disorder, only attends school one day a week for two hours due to previous outbursts attributed to a lack of support for her disabilities. Khloe's limited school days have caused her sadness, hindered her educational progress, and isolated her from her peers.
2. Impact on Family: Khloe's limited schooling has significantly disrupted her family's life. Her mother, Alyssa Warne, had to quit her job for a period to stay home with Khloe and described the efforts to get her daughter back in the classroom as exhausting and distressing.
3. A Nationwide Concern: Across the U.S., schools are often shortening the school days for students with disabilities, especially in response to challenging behavior. While schools claim this is to maintain safety and prevent disturbances, advocates and parents see it as discrimination and a violating these students' civil rights.
4. Federal Law on Disability Rights: Under federal law, it is illegal to bar children from receiving the same education as their peers based on conditions stemming from their disability. Students with disabilities have a right to education in the least restrictive environment.
5. Oregon's Legislative Action: A bill in Oregon aimed to limit the use of shortened school days, potentially giving parents more say over such decisions. Despite its near-unanimous Senate passage, the bill faced challenges in the House of Representatives, with school boards and superintendents offering resistance.
6. Disabilities Rights Oregon Lawsuit: Oregon has been a focal point for this issue. A lawsuit filed by the nonprofit advocacy group Disability Rights Oregon in 2019 revealed that approximately 1,000 Oregon students with disabilities were on shortened schedules.
7. Effects of Shortened Days: Shortened school days lead to significant educational and social challenges for students. Students on these schedules fall behind their peers in both academic achievements and social-emotional skills.
8. Scarlett Rasmussen's Case: Another family in Grants Pass, Oregon, faced similar challenges. Scarlett Rasmussen, an 8-year-old who is nonverbal and has a genetic condition, initially attended school on a three-day-week schedule after the pandemic. Efforts to get her to attend full days were hindered due to the school's need for more staff to cater to Scarlett's medical and educational needs.
9. Teachers' Union Stance: During the debate over the bill in Oregon, teachers unions voiced concerns about the lack of specialized training for handling students with disabilities and the increase in challenging behaviors post-pandemic, leading to classroom disruptions and injuries.
10. Continuous Advocacy: Parents like Alyssa Warne and Chelsea Rasmussen continue to advocate for their children's right to a full education and challenge school systems that they believe are discriminating against students with disabilities. They emphasize the need for schools to invest in proper training and resources to support these students.
Comments
Post a Comment