Dist. 25 special ed parents want to keep separate classrooms

Special education parents in Arlington Heights worried that more of their children may be "mainstreamed" into regular classrooms have circulated a petition, calling for dedicated special ed classrooms to be maintained.

Special education parents came to an Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 board meeting last week.

The petition they carried called for the continuation of dedicated classrooms for children with disabilities and for special ed parents to be able to participate in the decision-making.

According to an e-mail circulated by a group of parents calling itself Special Education Matters in Arlington Heights, board members and other decision makers in the district have been asked to read a book "New Directions in Special Education: Eliminating Ableism in Policy And Practice" by Thomas Hehir (Harvard Education Press).

The parents group referred to Hehir as "an extreme inclusionist." According to the Web site of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Hehir writes that the debate over inclusion could be solved with "sufficient accommodation, access and support."

Asked whether District 25 was moving toward more inclusion for special ed students, Superintendent Sarah Jerome said, "I don't think we've gotten to that point."

Jerome said Illinois law requires special needs children be placed in the least restrictive environment that is appropriate.

She said whether a student is placed with the general population all day, part of the day or not at all is made when staff and parents create an independent education plan for him or her.

The book, she said, tells educators they may be able to mainstream more special ed students than they presently are.

After a child graduates from high school "there is no special education section for that child out in the real world," Jerome added.

She had little solace to offer parents who worry their special education students might lose some services.

District 25 has been told to expect $2 million less in state funding next year, said Jerome. If cuts like that continue, every single program will be affected, she said.

Inclusion versus self-contained classrooms is not a new debate, she said.

In another issue, parents are unhappy that Early Childhood classes could move from Ivy Hill and Greenbrier schools on the village's north side to Westgate School on the south side.

That will make it impossible for some families to participate, they said.

Parent Barbara Mason said the program that puts tuition-paying children with youngsters who are slightly at risk is fabulous, and she is upset one of her children will miss out because it is moving to Westgate.

Jerome said several special education programs are moving because of space considerations. She acknowledged that parents who need to get older children to northern schools might not be able to take preschoolers to Westgate, but said "We don't have space in every building."

She said geography was the only change anticipated in that preschool program next school year.

About 80 percent of special education students meet the state standards, and all nine schools in the district are on the state honor roll for the third year in a row because 90 percent of students meet or exceed state standards, said Jerome.