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tend regular classes with “normal” students.
The parents of many of these students see their children going on to college instead of on the welfare roles. Unlike some school board members, they don’t expect their offspring to grow up and require support from their “average” classmates.
Certainly, the jump in participation from 19 to 87 in one year looks alarming. But these kids haven’t been dug out of the woodwork to fill the seats in the special programs instituted this year. They’ve been in Rappahannock schools all along—just tucked away neatly into folders.
Before full-time learning disabled and speech teachers were hired this year, the schools got away with meeting only the letter of the law on state mandates for special education. “Every child who had been diagnosed as having a problem is in a special program,” was the stock response to any criticism.
The key word was “diagnosed.” With a psychologist visiting the schools only two days per month, the backlog of teacher referrals for testing and placement was staggering. Even now, with the services of a half-time diagnostician, the demand for testing continues to outstrip the time available
88.8%