Reform is needed, and worthwhile

Sherri Tucker is running for the BOE in Lee’s Summit as an activist for special needs children in the area, because while working to get the best education for her child, who has autism, she has seen areas where there is room for improvement.

This article in the Lee’s Summit Journal had the school district’s autism specialist refute the idea that there is anything wrong with what they offer the wide range of autistic students in the area.

One of the biggest disconnects I’ve seen between the public schools, boards and unions when talking about special needs education reform is that the public schools perceive criticism as an attack on the efficacy of their services. I think most parents are happy with the services their public school can offer a special needs child, and feel that the public schools do a really good job educating almost any type of disability that comes down the pike.

When parents have complaints, and when reform measures like Bryce’s law come up, they are not intended to disparage public schools, but rather to recognize that there is just no way that any given public school can offer the perfect services for every child living in the area. Many children with autism need one-on-one attention and most schools are just not cut out to offer that. Others need a potpourri of styles, and if we asked public schools to provide that we’d run outrageous tabs.

Across the state, however, there are private schools designed specifically to meet all types of special needs, and can be more effective because that is their focus. Special needs likely necessitate a specialized response, and trying to offer that in the rigid structure of the public school setting is a recipe for disaster. Fluidity makes sense for the dynamic nature of autism and many other disabilities, and a private setting can offer that. Bryce’s Law is responding to a definite need, and when it comes down to a choice between a child succeeding or regressing, we can’t afford to squabble about whether it should come from a public or private education.