PROVO -- Donna Fairbanks recalls her jitters about enrolling her autistic son in a Provo school.
Her list of concerns was lengthy: Would he be cared for? Would a public school understand his needs? Would teachers give him the attention he needed to learn? In two years, Fairbanks has realized her worries were for naught."I could really talk a long time about the excellent service my son is receiving," she said. "People who choose to go into this profession are the best people in the world."
Fairbanks' son is one of 1,660 students who were helped in special-education courses last year in the 13,000-student Provo City School District.
Annually, an average of 11 percent of students in the Utah County district are legally classified as disabled, which is slightly higher than state and national averages.
Ted Kelly, Provo's director of special education, thinks the high count can be attributed to the number of involved parents and educators who pay close attention to how well children are developing.
"I don't think there's a strange anomaly of some kind in Provo," Kelly said. "I think it has to do with parents, teachers and physicians being involved and requesting an evaluation if they think their child needs help."
Provo receives some $5.5 million in state and federal funding to help students in the Utah County schools cope with such disabilities as attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, autism and hearing impairments.
A 1975 federal law, originally known as the Education For All Handicapped Children Act, has been amended several times to make sure schools are offering disabled students a chance to succeed in school.
In exchange for federal funds, schools must provide a "free appropriate public education," according to the act, which was amended in 1997. It is now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
But despite an increase in disabled students, the amount of total government funds Provo receives is dropping because of a dip in the district's overall enrollment, Kelly said.
The majority -- 1,105 -- are diagnosed with learning disorders and are taught by special-education teachers. But others require help from registered nurses, occupational therapists, certified physical therapists and psychologists.
"We have a lot of students with nurses as part of their (individualized education plan)," Kelly said, also adding that some students also qualify for Medicaid services. "Now that's a complicated program in and of itself."
Students with disabilities receive the services called for in an education plan designed specifically for the child by parents and teachers.
At last count, 981 elementary-age Provo students were classified as disabled. Some 199 students in the three middle schools and 419 students in the four high schools need special attention for disabilities.
In addition, Provo supports a preschool for disabled children plus Oakridge School, a facility for disabled students from central and southern Utah County.
Provo also has started an 11-week summer program for special-education students "so that students don't regress" during the three-month hiatus from daily schoolwork, Fairbanks said.
"We have kids with unique challenges. But we do believe all children can learn," Kelly said.
"It is a highly mandated program," Kelly said, shaking his head in awe of the daily rigors for teachers of disabled children. "Teachers (in special-education classes) must care for kids with great challenges but also must be able to take the pressure that comes with those challenges."