I just need to pause for a second - I feel like people think that students with special needs are getting a *free* education..
for children with special needs, NY state is paying for them to go to school - they are not getting a free ride, these children are not getting a private school education for free while other people have to pay for their kids. the school is indeed getting paid.
NY state and the city have determined that the public schools and programs can not provide the education these children need and therefore that money that would have been spent in public classrooms (pre-school etc) is considered to be better spent by putting those children in the right place.
it is the same money that would be spent on children attending public school and actually saves all taxpayers money in the long run - many of the children would need one-on-one paras - costing schools upwards of $25K a year in addition to the teacher and materials vs. the amount paid to LR. again families with children with special needs are not getting a freebie that other people have to pay for.
it is not a free education and students enrolled at BHMS are not paying for something these kids get for free.
additionally, the evaluation process done for pre-schoolers to receive services is actually quite comprehensive - there are several evaluations all done by different evaluators who are skilled in their fields (teachers, psychologists, physicians, social workers, speech pathologists, ocupational therapists and physical therapists). these professionals then file reports with a committee whose job it is is to screen out potential abusers of the system as well as to ensure that the right services are being provided to meet a child's needs. they read all the reports, analyze them and look for discrepancies.
you can have a private evaluation done - but you also need to have the evaluators that are DOE certified and employed so that there is as little abuse of the system as possible. no system is perfect but still... parents can not just make up "bogus" learning disabilities. well, they can but one would hope they get caught.
I just need to pause for a second - I feel like people think that students with special needs are getting a *free* education..
for children with special needs, NY state is paying for them to go to school - they are not getting a free ride, these children are not getting a private school education for free while other people have to pay for their kids. the school is indeed getting paid.
NY state and the city have determined that the public schools and programs can not provide the education these children need and therefore that money that would have been spent in public classrooms (pre-school etc) is considered to be better spent by putting those children in the right place.
it is the same money that would be spent on children attending public school and actually saves all taxpayers money in the long run - many of the children would need one-on-one paras - costing schools upwards of $25K a year in addition to the teacher and materials vs. the amount paid to LR. again families with children with special needs are not getting a freebie that other people have to pay for.
it is not a free education and students enrolled at BHMS are not paying for something these kids get for free.
additionally, the evaluation process done for pre-schoolers to receive services is actually quite comprehensive - there are several evaluations all done by different evaluators who are skilled in their fields (teachers, psychologists, physicians, social workers, speech pathologists, ocupational therapists and physical therapists). these professionals then file reports with a committee whose job it is is to screen out potential abusers of the system as well as to ensure that the right services are being provided to meet a child's needs. they read all the reports, analyze them and look for discrepancies.
you can have a private evaluation done - but you also need to have the evaluators that are DOE certified and employed so that there is as little abuse of the system as possible. no system is perfect but still... parents can not just make up "bogus" learning disabilities. well, they can but one would hope they get caught.
Posted by: debglauner at December 15, 2008 2:51 PM in response to Ivy League of Special Needs Pre-Schools to Close?