Students with disabilities vary greatly

Students with disabilities vary greatly in the educational setting that best suits them. Unfortunately, it is not a one size-fits-all solution. While some disabled students would benefit from being in a regular classroom, others may not. There are also some students that benefit from doing part-time in regular and part-time in a special education setting. While some parents may push for mainstreaming the child, others know their child will not do well in a regular setting.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal addresses those concerns. A fully included student is one that spends at least 80% of their time in a regular classroom setting. Nationally, 54% of disabled students are considered fully included. New Jersey passed some of the first special education laws, setting an example for the rest of the states. Some laws require the public education system to pay for educating the special education students, whether it is in a public school, a special education school, or a private school. Recently, some people are pushing for full inclusion because of the costs. Mainstreaming advocates also feel children would thrive being around non-disabled children. But many parents disagree. They have witnessed what happens not only to their child’s grades, but also what happens to them as people. Many parents of special education children were noticing their children not fitting in, being ridiculed, and causing disruptions in response. These children were struggling academically and now were facing depression, aggravation, and sometimes aggression.

Bottom line is that parents deserve the right to make that choice for their child. The state should not decide what the best schooling method is for someone’s child. The parents should make that choice.