Chatham does not have a good plan for “504″ students

By Dan Cahoon
Posted Wednesday, June 25, 2008

 E-mail this page    Printer-friendly page

Moncure, NC - One of my children is disabled and as a result has difficulty with the current method of education at his school. I am a teacher and so well versed in the laws that protect individuals with disabilities (not to mention having a child with a disability).

Chatham county has a dismal record in the area of assistance for children with disabilities. Many rural and low income counties have the same problem. They just don’t have the money to serve those that don’t “fit”. As a result, their learning problems are ignored, their physical needs are ignored and they suffer. Chatham has a new superintendent who has pledged to me that he will try to address these issues and create some new programs that will help the less advantaged in our community.

He has a background in special education and knowing that makes me feel that he is sincere and qualified to enact change in the way things are done in our schools. I am hoping that he can make a difference before my disabled son totally gives up on school and learning in general. There are other issues for my son, such as bullying and teasing that have not been adequately addressed by the principal or his teachers.

In addition to disturbing social issues in my son’s classroom, there are testing issues that put all students at risk of painful failure and useless test preparation.

The problem with Chatham county and all counties in NC is that our state has switched from a developmental model for delivering the curriculum to a standards based curriculum. The basic theory is that if one raises the bar then the learners will rise to the occasion. As an experienced teacher I can say that those children who would do well anyway on standardized testing do rise to the occasion but those with learning difficulties get left behind.

This is an issue related to No Child Left Behind, an unfunded federal mandate that proposes 100% passing rates for students by 2014, an unsustainable and in my opinion absurd proposition. You can’t have 100% of anything, especially not when the tests are biased, the curriculum is constantly in flux and teachers are overwhelmed with useless paperwork.

I have been told that the situation can’t be changed. I don’t accept that notion, not when I know how much of an impact my teaching has upon my charges. We can change this. It may take a court challenge however to force local education authorities to allocate the funds for this type of change. Chatham county may need to put more money into after school programs and tutoring as well as provide art, science and life skills opportunities for the whole learner.

I understand that money is tight. Chatham is poor. However, I don’t think our local school system has a plan to help children with disabilities. Our school system is concentrating on raising arbitrary and statistically useless test scores instead. The only entities who benefit from this behavior are the bureaucrats and politicians who just want it all to look good.

I hope that your child finds what he or she needs in Chatham county. Unfortunately, our county does not have a good plan for “504″ students. The most they will voluntarily change is the way tests are administered for individuals with disabilities. I can tell with full confidence that there is more to learning than passing an end of grade test.

It is sad that the test has become the only thing that matters to our education leaders. There is some growth that can’t be measured or quantified and until teachers are once again given the time and resources to meet those needs your child and my child will left out in the cold.

Join my organization "One Day." It is free and non-confrontational (so far). The more parents that get together, the better the chances that local education can and will improve. We could change the whole system with one day. One day our culture and government will invest as much in children as we do in war, sports, oil, elections, entertainment etc. One day we will take our schools back from the bureaucrats.

My hint, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Don’t hesitate to demand quality instruction, facilities and attention for your child. Use the courts if you have to. Federal law is on your child’s side.