Sure there are spoiled brats who lack discipline. But I have firsthand experience with children who do have mental illness or other neurological issues which prevent them from comprehending right and wrong or understanding consequences. Their disability prohibits them from integrating seamlessly into society.
They need to be dealt with and there is no pretty or ideal way to do it. One thing I can tell you, these children are not the result of bad parenting, although bad parenting can certainly exacerbate the situation.
Okay, so WTF are they doing in a mainstream classroom if they're that bad off?
I don't know, some idealist pie-in-the-sky thinking that somehow these kids will take their cue from the other kids?
You're preaching to the choir dear.
I fear it also is an attempt to increase the amount of funding a state gives to a local school district.
When they demonstrate they have special needs students and programs (whether they do any good or not) then I believe they can get more state aid.
I hope that doesn`t sound too cynical because I am sure there are many in schools that want the best for the kids but I have heard the complaint often that the districts insist on them being in the local school but not helping at all.
The other side of the coin is that here in NY what a school district provides for one they have to provide for all.
On the surface that doesn`t sound all that bad but the unintended consequence is that life doesn`t fit into a basic black/white fairness equation.
If a school district transports one student say 2 miles to get special needs help specific to that child then it would also have to transport one a great distance further if that was where anothers specific but different needs could be addressed.
The result is neither goes.
