District 64- wants to segregate 5th grade special needs kids

Please reconsider your decision. Do not separate these children.

This is appalling.

All kids learn best by keeping them in the least restrictive environment. That IS with their peers in the general educational classroom.

Would not like to see this hsppen

I don’t get this ridiculousness! Wasn’t segregation (aka discrimination) outlawed over 50 years ago??? It would make so much more sense to just split the “age-gap” (if that is truly “the main issue”) and have 2 SPED classrooms K-2 and 3-5 as other people have said and keep everyone at their proper elementary schools. Shouldn’t this have been something families of ALL needs, not just SPED families, could have voted on? I’m sure the results would have been overwhelming to keep all our children together in integrated classrooms of the same age groups. Just stupidity and at the very least naivity on their part. My son attended a pilot kindergarten program at Jefferson where it was just for SPED kids. That failed. Why would they think after 4 years of integrated classrooms that segregation would be the next “forward” step? It certainly wasn’t the answer in kindergarten for my son and I tell you, in hindsight, I felt that was the year of LEAST amount of growth and MOST amount of stress for him. Transitions can be extremely difficult for any child but often even harder for special needs kids - their emotional maturity level to handle a huge transition may already be behind their same-age peers and now you’re asking them to move into a different school at an even earlier age than a typical minded kid?? I hope these dingbats think long and hard about what they are proposing here. We are supposed to be a forward-moving community. Let’s not go backwards by letting this happen!

Keeping students with their peers has proved valuable time and again, please continue to do so.

This is ridiculous, how would you feel if this was your child?

D64 parent

D64 Parent

As a special educator with Masters degrees in high and low incidence special education, this proposition is in direct violation of FAPE. Don’t do it is as simple as it gets!!

Disgusting. What if she had said that children with blonde hair did not make "authentic friendships?" Or children that did not have two parent homes? It could be used against any child at some point.

D64 Parent

Please do not segregate these children from their classmates of the same age and with whom they've grown up with and have built relationships with. Why?? What is the reason you want to do this?? Do you think that this will help their education? socialization? I'm not an educator, but it seems like common sense that this will impact negatively on these children. If you're about "the kids" then every childs needs must be considered.

Would they ever do this to typical kids? Think about why not. Those are the reasons not to do this to any kids.

???????? I guess you guys are confused...

It would be less detrimental to move Kindergartners to a special location (if age gap is the true reason behind this decision.)

Those trying to force this decision need to be voted out of office or fired! This is asaine!

IEPs are created specifically to do what's best for each individual child. You cannot just decide to move ALL 5th grade special needs students with complete disregard to what's in their best interest.

These kids need to stay with their age group and friends do not isolate them!

Hire more teachers to support the special needs students at their home elementary schools through 5th gr.