For children with autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, severe depression or anxiety, etc., public education can be difficult. Often, these children are not accommodated adequately via individualized education plans or 504 plans.
Parents of these children often feel that they are ignored, dismissed and rejected by regular classroom teachers and administration. Oftentimes, these students are placed in the back, out of the way, and treated with impatience by their regular classroom teachers and peers. What recourse do parents then have?
When accommodations are denied, when teachers are intolerant, when administrators are dismissive, parents of children with special needs feel pushed out of the public school system. Instead, they turn to homeschooling, charter schools, etc. This fixes the logistical problem for the parents, but ethically, what does this say about our society? Are we pushing children with special needs out of public schools?
Kiersten Bezzant
Idaho Falls