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Uploaded: Thursday, November 29, 2012, 4:16 PM
'Social inclusion' to be theme of Dec. 3 panel
Discussion, at school district headquarters, to focus on new programs in Palo Alto
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"Social inclusion" will be the topic of a panel discussion Monday, Dec. 3, sponsored by Palo Alto's Community Advisory Committee for Special Education.
Experts will speak about a new "inclusion" program for special education students at Duveneck Elementary School and also about promoting social inclusion in the upper grades.
The event is part of Palo Alto's second annual Inclusive Schools Week, aimed at promoting discussion of the Palo Alto school district's efforts to include students with disabilities in regular classrooms and activities as much as possible.
A renewed push toward inclusion -- begun at Barron Park Elementary School and in the school district's Preschool Family program -- has been extended to Duveneck this fall.
Monday's panel discussion, from 7 to 9 p.m., will be at school district headquarters, 25 Churchill Ave.
Panelists include the school district's Director of Special Education Holly Wade and educators Jennifer Sommerness and Diann Grimm.
Sommerness will speak about her paraprofessional training curriculum and promoting inclusion, especially in the upper grades. Grimm, who consults on social-emotional learning, co-authored a manual for school districts called "Quirky Kids."— Chris Kenrick Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by tired of fighting, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Nov 29, 2012 at 7:38 pm I'd be happy if district personnel just made it easier for families of children with special needs and disabilities by just not being so EVIL.
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Posted by herstory buff, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Nov 30, 2012 at 1:44 pm Is this the same thing as "mainstreaming"? If it is, can the teachers and other school employees not be so cruel to the kids being mainstreamed? None of this is their fault.
Although PAUSD was better than our previous district, in which a teacher threw a book at my son, it still wasn't really very skilled enough to deal with learning disabled kids.
My son was oxygen deprived due to a lonbg labor and delivery, and we eventually had to remove him from PAUSD due to impatient teachers after he was mainstreamed.
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Posted by Frustrated Mom, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Nov 30, 2012 at 8:16 pm I am glad to hear that I am not the only one who has such a hard time with the special education official. They are very evil. When they walked into the IEP's, they already have their minds set, and they pretend to listen, but not really. This is one of the reasons I pulled my child out of special ed. Yes, there are many impatient special ed. and regular teachers who act like jail guards, have no love for children and should not be teaching. Special education children need profesional, loving teachers.
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Posted by just wondering, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Dec 2, 2012 at 10:51 pm Frustrated mom - I agree that special education children need professorial, loving teachers. I think that all kids need caring teachers, and professorial school/district officials.
I'm very sorry to read the experiences described above.
I wonder if $ considerations are impacting the way Social Inclusion is being implemented, resulting in comments above? One possible example of a way to cut cost could be reducing aide support when not appropriate for a specific kid situation. There are many other ways.
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Posted by spec-ed parent, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Dec 3, 2012 at 8:44 pm Thank you so much to the CAC Steering Committee parents who put this panel together. You know who you are. We appreciate the fact that you are there for the community.
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