Elizabeth Barlow

As a former Special Education teacher and sister/co-guardian of an autistic young man, I’m incredibly shocked and disappointed that this is being proposed. The forced siloing of students with disabilities into separate schools will impose incredible damage on their social, emotional, and educational needs. Under federal law, students with disabilities have the right to a public education within the least restrictive environment, spending as much time with same aged peers as possible. Removing students from their home schools, without consideration of the needs of the student, removes opportunities for students to interact with their peers, have access to general education, and creates an incredibly restrictive environment. The law fundamentally is designed to include students with disabilities to the highest level they are capable. When you remove them from their home schools for the sake for budget, it’s taking away their rights. It was mentioned in the proposal that this could limit excess special education staff. We are in a shortage of qualified, special education staff. As it stands, there is not enough paraprofessionals to support the students in schools at this time. For students who require 1:1 assistance, they would still require supports in a separate environment. This will only create more problems for staffing and students. Additionally, the cost of bussing students to out of town placement, many requiring bus monitors, is not going to be saving the state money. If parents drive their child, this will put undue stress onto families, and thus onto the child. Most importantly, even if there are general education classes at these sites, children deserve the opportunity to be at their neighborhood schools, just like their peers. Likewise, those peers deserve the opportunity to learn from and grow up with their classmates with disabilities. This takes us back to an age where many children with disabilities were seen and not heard, which is an age disability advocates fought hard to never go back to. Our children deserve more than this.