Page 102 - EdViewptsSpring2018-web_Neat

Disability Abuse in Educational Settings?

By Jonathan Shutman, Retired Elementary School Principal

Significant and rightful attention has opportunities but wide differences in for minority students to be identified
been brought to bear upon sexual classification procedures and available “as having (a) learning disabilities,
abuse and sexual harassers. Codified services for students with special (b) speech or language impairments,
safeguards and laws in educational needs. Advocates for these students, (c) intellectual disabilities, (d) health
settings enable protections or redress including CST members, parents, and impairments, or (e) emotional distur-
as needed. teachers, can be handcuffed because bances. Language-minority children
What safeguards are in place to see of local politics. were less likely to be identified as hav-
that students with special needs are Commentary and reports underscore ing (a) learning disabilities or (b) speech
protected against neglect, one kind of these inconsistencies. Morgan and Fra- or language impairments.”
abuse, as defined by availability and khas in New York Times commentary, Examples in NJ underscore the
appropriateness of services? Is Special Education Racist? (6/24/15) current disparity in services made
For K-12 students with disabilities, and and their research cited in a Brook- available to students within districts
those responsible for enacting accom- ings Institute report by Nora Gordon driven by the cultural backgrounds of
modations and modifications, there is (9/20/2017), Race, Poverty, and Inter- constituents and their political voting
much in the way of appropriate, dedi- preting Overrepresentation in Special blocks, confounded by a variety costs
cated, and effective practice. Yet there Education present research that belies for private school placements, trans-
is systemic inconsistency, bias, and/or common misconceptions regarding portation, litigation, and legal costs.
neglect towards students with disabili- special education services and minor- Compare the availability of services in
ties given the plethora of New Jersey ity students. In the latter, they state that urban districts with wealthy suburban
school districts, local control, and “Minority children were consistently less districts. Too many school systems in
uneven funding of NJ school districts likely than otherwise similar White, Eng- our state presume wide authority but
characterized by zip code. lish-speaking children to be identified suffer attendant constraints because
of our long standing configuration of
as disabled and so to receive special
Where a student lives results in not education services.” From kindergarten school districts based on local control.
only a range of regular educational through middle school there is a failure

Educational Viewpoints -100- Spring 2018