Inclusion program drops 'typical' kids
Class helped special needs students socialize
By MARY MacDONALD
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/20/04

Cathy Shea didn't know the preschool class her son attends is unusual for bringing together children with and without disabilities.

She only knew it was helping Ian, who has mild autism. Although he didn't know how to play with others in August when he enrolled in the class at Summit Hill Elementary School in Alpharetta, Ian has since begun to enter conversations and parrot the behavior of his classmates.

But the so-called "inclusion program," offered at Summit Hill and two other north Fulton County schools, is coming to an abrupt end. School officials told parents last week they can no longer afford pre-kindergarten classes in which children with disabilities mingle with "typical peers."

To make way for an unexpected increase in the number of children classified as having special needs, the "typical" students would have to leave the program, the officials said.

Federal law requires the system to provide education services to children with disabilities beginning at age 3, Fulton Superintendent Michael Vanairsdale said. But the system is not required to educate other children until age 5.

The classes mixing typical students with those needing special attention were "a good idea," Vanairsdale said. "But it's somewhat inequitable in how it's being offered to parents. It's very expensive."

The decision has infuriated parents whose children are being displaced from the pre-k programs on short notice, and others, such as Shea, who say their children need to socialize with typical children.

Shea worries Ian is going to lose ground if he is isolated in a special needs class. In the past, not knowing how to play with other children, the 4-year-old would spend his time throwing mulch around when he went to a playground. "He's going to go back to being the kid playing with the mulch," Shea said.

On Saturday, the parents of the 22 typical students in the program were notified they had until Nov. 23 to find alternative programs. Several parents said that would be all but impossible, given competition for spaces in pre-k classes.

On Wednesday, after considering the complaints, Vanairsdale said he would extend the program until the end of December, to give the parents time to find other spots.

In addition to Summit Hill, the affected programs are at Woodland Elementary School in Sandy Springs and Esther Jackson Elementary School in Roswell.

Some parents said they are considering a legal challenge to the school district's decision.

The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires schools to educate disabled students in the least-restrictive setting possible, said Patti Grayson, a parent whose family moved to Fulton County so 3-year-old Caroline could participate in the inclusion program.

Grayson said her daughter, who is developmentally delayed, has started talking more frequently since she enrolled in the Woodland Elementary program. Grayson said she is unsure where she will find a play group of "typical" children, if the school system eliminates the program.

"I think they should be ashamed of themselves," she said. "For them to think this is a good option is just mean-spirited on their part."

Jenny Kerven, whose daughter Aviva is not disabled, gave up a slot in the regular preschool program at Woodland so the 4-year-old could participate in the inclusion program.

"She doesn't even see it as these kids being different from her," Kerven said. "She thinks of them as her friends. She talks about these kids all day long."

Parents of special needs youngsters say they are dissatisfied with a solution offered by county officials, including Vanairsdale, to allow their children to attend class occasionally with regular-program preschoolers or kindergartners.

"It's just not fair," Shea said. "I can't see how they can get away with not putting him in a classroom with typical peers."