I am writing in response to the Wednesday, November 5th article on Special Education, and believe I can add an informative, personal perspective to this topic.

Providing an education to children with special needs is indeed more complex than many may realize, however I find this to be a much more significant issue than portrayed through the words found in the preceding article. Respectfully speaking, I believe this report to be superficial and poorly written from a uninformed perspective. Few truly understand what occurs behind the doors in a special education room, fewer having an understanding of the real needs of these students. Further, the article lacks an adequate depiction of the challenges that the district faces in providing each of these students an individualized education that meets their unique needs. Every student has the right to an education provided by a qualified teacher. Simple as that. This is a real issue, one that is not being addressed to the extent necessary.

Teachers within this department work hard and are recurrently put in difficult situations. They need time, support and resources that will help these students to function at their greatest level. This isn’t solely the “job” of the teachers, the district, or the parents. Rather, a culmination of them all and many others lacking identification in the article. Students in these special programs may qualify for additional services during their school day. The services of professional Speech Therapists who may work to assist a student in their ability to express themselves, Occupational Therapists who may work with a student to develop tools to assist in writing or typing abilities, Physical Therapists, Nurses, Psychologists and those who assist the teachers in teaching: the Paraprofessionals. It takes a supportive-engaged team, all of whom understand the rights and needs of that child as well as having the time to work directly with the student. Hence, if one component of the team isn’t making progress, the team must work to problem solve perhaps a new or better approach to the identified learning need.

Providing all of these special services comes at a cost and a cost which is significant.  Parents must work closely with the teachers and the school to ensure the student is provided with the services they require and those that they deserve; this is the challenge.