A Southern California school district has apologized to parents of special education students who were outraged to learn their children had been sorting trash as a school activity.We have a similar program at our school. We have special blue recycling cans in our classrooms, and we only put paper and plastic bottles in them. Periodically some of our special needs students will come around and empty out the cans. They take care of getting those items to recycling and, to be honest, I have no idea what they do with the money--but I'm pretty sure their class spends it on extras.
Jurupa Unified Superintendent Elliot Duchon made the apology at a heated meeting Monday night. He also said the activity — which was part of a functional skills program at Patriot High School to teach students general life skills like budgeting and purchasing groceries — had been suspended, the Press-Enterprise reported Wednesday...
"It is disgusting," said Carmen Wells, who complained after learning her autistic son was digging through trash on his first day as a high school freshman.
I can understand being a little upset if kids are digging through garbage to look for the recyclables; the difference at our school is that they're collecting the recyclables that we've already segregated. Now that I read this story, though, I wonder, is that difference so great?
Legitimate if for no other reason then that the employees involved in setting up the activity could hardly have been unaware of the fact that special ed parents are a pretty touchy bunch and have reason to be. The pejorative "retard" is still thrown around and the public education system hardly has an exemplary record in dealing with special ed kids.
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