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2/19/02 – The Los Angeles Unified School District is undertaking a major effort to mainstream students with disabilities.
Nearly 35,000 children who attend special education centers or are enrolled in special education classes in regular schools will be integrated with their non-disabled peers.
Another 48,000 students with disabilities are already mainstreamed.
The mainstream plan results from a consent decree ordered by a federal court that requires the district to "provide a full continuum of services in the least restrictive environment." The order stems from a 1993 class-action suit initiated by the family of Chanda Smith, then a disabled student who failed 10th grade twice.
The consent decree requires the district, within five years, to ensure that the population of students with disabilities in each school ranges between 7.4 percent and 15.4 percent.
By December 2002, the district must have 60 percent of its schools within this range. Each year, the required percentage of schools increases by 10, with all schools to be in compliance by December 2006.
Only 18 percent of all disabled children in Los Angeles attended regular classes last year. That is less than half the national average.
Exceptions would be made for some students who are deaf or severely disabled. According to a district document, "Removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment should occur only when it can be demonstrated that the education of the child in the regular environment with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily."
Decisions on placement will continue to be the responsibility of the Individualized Education Program team composed of family members, teachers, and other professionals.
The plan not only affects the 4,600 students who attend one of 16 special education centers and more than 30,000 who attend special education classes in regular schools, but will have an impact on all students and educators districtwide, who will have to accommodate an influx of students with special needs.
The district plans to provide Least Restrictive Environment Support Teams to help schools adjust to the changes. The teams will provide training for administrators, general and special education teachers, and para-educators in such areas as instructional modifications and strategies, behavioral support planning, and transition activities.
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| Reproduced with permission from the Feb. 19, 2002, issue of School Board News. Copyright © 2002, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789. | |