From Hilary Jenkins-Spangler:
My husband attended a BOE meeting Monday evening in Bel Air. Dr Canavan was the first public speaker. She praised the administrators for taking ‘appropriate’ action regarding the abuse case at Hickory Elementary School. Dr. Canavan indicated that the problem was handled quickly and efficiently. Nancy Reynolds said “I want to thank Mrs. Canavan and the staff for looking at the problem and rectifying it.” When my husband spoke he said he had to disagree….also, that with a heavy heart we removed our son from the Autism Program at Red Pump Elementary School, because there was no educational benefit and after observing for 3 1/2 hours, we felt he was not safe. He told them that he has a master’s in Special Ed and Habilitative Science from a Clarion University in western PA from 30 years ago. In the mid-sevenites, he managed a mental health program for people with disabilities in Clarion, PA. There were children with autism who were non-verbal for whom he found placements in an autism program in Erie PA. The progress he saw with the programs and interventions were effective. Really, behind PA 30 years ago! How can Harford County remain so stuck in the last century? It’s truly pitiful. He said Harford County is THAT FAR BEHIND THE TIMES! At the end, he quoted one of the comments from my last letter ‘the Special Ed Department needs an enema!” (That was my favorite part.) He also said the only thing he could see that would make the HCPS special education department change would be a class-action lawsuit in Federal Court! (By the way, my husband is also an adjunct faculty member at Towson University who has taught a course on learning in the Psychology department while also working at the National Institute on Aging, NIH as a research psychologist).
The face of special needs has changed over the years. Intervention services are given to more general ed children with learning disabilities in reading (AKA – Dyslexia, which HC does not recognize!). In fact Dyslexia affects a lot of children, which is interesting because Red Pump only has one teacher for 700 students who is trained in Wilson – a reading intervention program. Ironically, my son, who is also dyslexic, cannot get a reading specialist because he is in the special ed program and the special ed teacher, (who is not trained in any reading intervention program) is his reading intervention teacher!
Many people have a stereo-typical image of autism – one that is severe. The Autism spectrum is just that – a spectrum, ranging from severely to mildly autistic. The high functioning kids are getting seriously short changed in this county. There are no decent programs for them. The Red Pump Regional Autism Program is not actually a Regional Autism Program, even though that’s what we were told at the IEP meeting – just one of the many ‘misunderstandings’. It’s a CSP classroom, which anyone in education knows, is a behavioral program. After talking to Dr Susan Austin this evening she told me it is an Autism Program, although I’m a little confused. If the plaque on the door says CSP, and has the same (CSP) teacher, teaching, is it really a CSP or for autism? I guess you can call it what you like…..Typically, the HF kids tend to be average to above average in their cognitive abilities, but often have sensory issues, language delays and communication difficulties. It’s critical that we give these children the supports they need to grow and be productive members of society. After all, many of them will becomeour inventors, scientists, computer whizzes and entertainers….. We should ensure they have the supports necessary, not just because it’s the right thing to do in an affluent, civilized society, but because it’s the smart thing to do. We need them, they are the Temple Grandins, Einsteins, Steve Jobs, Isaac Newtons and Dan Ackroyds of this world. We are short changing ourselves and society if we don’t give them the opportunity to put their many talents to use.
HCPS needs some humanity injected into their programs, instead of putting so many of their resources into denying our children their educational rights, they need to support them. We need stronger leadership and high quality programs that we can be proud of. I believe that the administrators believe they are doing a great job, but the problem is that they just reinforce one another’s reality.They seem to live in an insular and provincial world. What is their reference point for making such great progress and how is it measured? Compared to Howard county’s special ed, Harford County is a distant planet floating in the darkness of a century past. The demographics of Harford County has grown over the years, but there is so much resistance to change and movement forward. Half of our education budget comes from State and Federal money, and with it, the requirement that all children with disabilities are to be given a free and appropriate education. It’s not a suggestion – but a mandate.
Hilary Jenkins-Spangler
Provincial is correct. And behind the times, absolutely. The understanding of “the spectrum” in Maryland is horrific – and not just at this school but at various public schools, including the “blue ribbon” ones in other counties. My son was flagged for aspergers twice then rated “most severe” for it by a teacher who thought any kid who likes numbers and lining stuff up must fit the bill. The doctor laughed at the school’s suggestion that he has aspergers – which really highlighted for me how little training these teachers have on the subject. And by little, I mean none. Not to mention how little interest or awareness they had of my son despite his being there five days a week. This is four years later and it turned out he just liked math and lining stuff up! That’s it. That teacher even won an award last year – but who gives the awards? The very same organization that runs the school. It’s like Donald Trump giving himself the Donald Trump award! I’m 39, with a law degree and a BA in Philosophy and Bioethics from UVA and have been to both private and public schools – and currently have an elementary school aged child in each and I find even my local “blue ribbon” school one of the least intellectual and least educationally motivating environments my child encounters- but on this opinion I have little company. The folks around here LOVE their blue ribbon school – like some sort of Kool Aid they’ve drunk. It’s for closed minded, provincial, fixed mindset folks that don’t seem to know any better – but it’s hard to actually know better and be stuck with it (or come up with so much $ for private). I can hardly imagine what Hickory Elementary is like and it makes my stomach flip a little knowing that good intelligent parents like Hilary and Ed are stuck in the mind trap of being legally required to send their kids to a bunch of clock watching adults who couldn’t care less about the well being of others. It’s AOK to not want to enjoy being around kids – but it’s morally bankrupt to take a job doing it and let the clock tick on what could have been a solid learning experience for a child – or children! I’m glad the protest was a success. Harford County is lucky to have the couple who wrote this article (whether they have the sense to know it or not). Kudos for taking a stand.
Thank you for such intelligent and thoughtful comments. This is just the beginning. We are planning our next rally. It’s going to take sustained effort to shift the balance of power here in HC. Jeanette Jennings, the former principle at Hickory came today, she said the relationships are so close between the Board and administrators, it’s like asking them to police themselves. I did get great pleasure knowing that the administrators were upstairs, fearing we would get into the building and confront them! I guess this is the unexpected. Until now, they went unchallenged and thought they were fireproof. People were too afraid to confront them, but now our numbers are growing – along with the power the goes with it!
Must have been an awfully quiet rally
Though I appreciate the thoughtfulness that wen’t into this post, I must point out that your experience seems to be only at one school. I agree there may be some issues with administration (or even higher than administration) with saying they “reinforce one another reality”. This may be true to a point, but I don’t believe that is the case everywhere. I’m glad you are so active and forthcoming with your opinion and feel the need to voice it. I wish others had the same enthusiasm (more on this in a bit).
What I really want to stress is how much the school system does really try and do the best for its students. There are issues, but the dedication is always there. Here is the kicker. Teachers are horribly underpaid, under appreciated, and on top of that have regulations, and testing, and other requirements that force them to sacrifice their own family life to do everything they can for their students. When I said I wished others had the same enthusiasm as you, I truly meant it. If more people got involved, they might finally understand how an underpaid staff has hurt teachers for such a long time. Teachers that might have been specialists, had more experience and training have left. New teachers are replacing them that haven’t had the proper training yet (I say yet, as they most likely are trying to, but where is the time to?!) or the experience they may need.
Am I saying this is the case with the special education program? Possibly, possibly not. It does seem more probable than not that people are finally starting to feel the effects of underfunding from the County.
Your comments are well taken…..I have the greatest respect and appreciation for teachers, both of my parents were teachers. I agree, they are underpaid, and parents do not always appreciate how much they do. The special ed teacher at our home school is an amazing woman and I will alwayus be grateful for how much kindness she showed my son. The administrators I am refeffing to are at Central Office – and I do not include all of them. I believe they are out of touch, closed off to new ideas and do not oversee the programs adequately. The former principal at Hickory made this point – the administrators never visited. There is an incredible power imbalance between schools/central office and parents. They routinely and systematically deny children’s educational rights, challenging parents to spend vast amounts of money advocating for their children. If only they put those resources into supporting the kids they profess to care about. What I find truly astonishing are the bold lies they tell. I had a meeting today with an administrator, I showed her the follow up email I sent to Robin Meyer after the last meeting. I wanted there to be a paper trail to avoid ‘misunderstandings’. Everything I was told was a lie – my son’s placement was supposed to be in a small Regional Autism Program specifically for HF kids who did not have disruptive behaviors. Instead, it turns out he is in a CSP classroom with some kids who have highly disturbing/disruptive behaviors who are not on the autism spectrum. This is reprehensible in my eyes – my sweet, polite, well behaved little boy in a completely inappropriate placement which could cause harm. It was a monstrous act. They think they are fireproof.
Perhaps your efforts would be better spent educating people of the increased risks of having autistic children later in life.
Nice effort at trolling, Educate. Are you anti-vaccine as well?
Seriously! Do you have any idea what you are talking about?! Parental age causes Autism???!!!!
HJS: How about making some logical points and using mature language first. That would be an excellent start.
Educate: Perhaps you should check your facts before running off at the mouth. I was 24 and so was my son’s father when he was born. He is mildly autistic. Age has nothing to do with being autistic. He went through something very similar at Dublin Elementary two years ago. He was placed in a general education setting after spending two years with 4-6 kids. He did not do well. The answer I received the most was isolating him from the rest of the class and giving him in school suspension. Neither of those helped him. So we had him tested and got the official diagnosis of being mildly autistic. He was then placed in the primary autism program at Darlington Elementary. He’s doing fantastic there! So while yes, some schools are not educated enough I feel like Darlington is an exception to that. They are truly wonderful and my son adores them. Educate: once again, do some reading on autism. Age isn’t a factor. There are many different theories and ideas but as far as I know, it hasn’t been proven what actually causes autism.
I wish you the best of luck ! I will say, my son who also has an autism spectrum disorder, attended Hickory Elementary almost 20 years ago. The teachers followed the principal and the principal was a monster (in my eyes) when it came to special needs. We had taken my son the Kennedy Krieger for every evaluation possible, as well as an educational consult for guidance and advice as to how his work could be modified, getting an aid, etc., to keep him in the ‘mainstream’ classroom but with assistance and modification. Every single report from Kennedy Krieger (which I paid for privately) was provided to the school for their files as well, and meeting after meeting was had trying to modify the work yet keep my son in the classroom. Eventually the school/HCPS had their on psychologist at the time (Patricia Zuen) conduct her own ‘evaluation’ which consisted of observing my son on two different occasions in the classroom, totaling 45 minutes. She determined that he was NOT autistic — but had nothing to back up her decision. When this was discussed and argued in an IEP meeting, the principal went so far to say that my son’s issues were a result of “poor parenting’. Needless to say, I retained a lawyer who specialized in education for disabled children, and had to sue the school system for the services for my son. We won. The audacity of educators making decisions of medical diagnoses or ignoring medical reports from reputable institutions was disgusting. My son staying in HCPS, graduated with Honors, but did continue to get his assistance throughout the remainder of his academic years. It was shameful of Hickory Elementary then, and it certainly seems that they haven’t changed much. HCPS as a whole wants to “claim” a disabled child to obtain additional federal funds, yet then doesn’t want to provide services they are entitled to (at least previously).
North Harford Mom, what services were provided for your son after the court case? just curious, how is your son doing now?
As a former special educator, I must agree that Harford County and several surrounding counties fail to provide appropriate education to high functioning students on the autism spectrum. It is almost as if they don’t know what to do with them. So, as a result, the counties are paying BIG bucks to send these students (by bus) to private placements (sometimes over an hour away from the home school). Now, that’s for the family that is able to advocate and fight the system. Why is it taking so long for the county to wake up, and start opening up classrooms that meet the needs of these children? Instead of always trying to get them to fit into their mold?! In the long run so many problems would be solved! A classroom where speech/language services are accesssable, daily social social skills instruction, positive behavior modification system, opportunities for inclusion….I could go on and on…..
Where is the money for that going to come from? Everybody likes to complain about what is not being provided, but those same people would be complaining the loudest if taxes were raised to provide the funding to truly provide a “free and appropriate education” for all of the children in the county – disabled or not. I feel that the administration and staff at the schools are doing the best they can with the resources provided.
Maybe the cost of the new dog pound would have been better spent on the special needs kids? Stray dogs have no chance of becoming productive members of society, these kids do if provided with right environment.
I wonder how many non-public placements go to kids who have suffered abuse like at Hickory and other schools? Could that money have been better spent by having high qulity programs that we could be proud of? Not to mention the suffering being spared. I’m just putting the question out there- I don’t know the answer, it’s just possible the resources could be better managed. Maybe the non-puplic placement offices could be eliminated if we provided what was needed in the county – that would free up a chunk of money.
Keep digging.
Some children on the autistic spectrum have the ability to think outside the box. What a gift. Could they be the silver lining in this debacle of publicly-funded education, i.e., that one-size does not fit all. Imagine wearing tight-fitting shoes everyday on the wrong feet? How would you feel?
Publicly-funded education is paid for by an act of theft — taking money from one person and giving it to another.
Consider a return of tax dollars back to the citizens to reinvest in privately-funded education that would be compelled to meet the needs of the students and parents because now it is a business instead of a bureaucracy. In order for the business model to thrive and compete, it would have to be successful by satisfying its tuition-paying customers. Being detached from the government apparatus, private enterprise business would not have to waste valuable time testing and collecting data on the students but rather allowing the teachers to teach the subjects they are most passionate about. More students would thrive with more choices.
Government was never intended to be a business. It is bureaucracy gone amuck.
Do you have the ability to think outside the box and solve this problem?
Think further down the road about jobs for all students. They are not there regardless of their abilities. They have evaporated and not coming back anytime soon. Something radical has got to be done. If government just got out of the way of the way, we would have a return to prosperity.
You said you observed a class for 3.5 hours. Do you really think you can make an accurate assessment based on a single visit? It seems this has become an obsessive, personal vendetta for you, instead of an attempt to obtain the best education for your child. It is interesting that you would reference the FORMER principal of Hickory as a reliable source. Please feel free to send your child to the private school of your choice – just not at the taxpayers’ expense.
I invite you to observe in this classroom and then tell me if you would be comfortable sending your child there…..I am also a tax payer and a law abiding citizen. As a civilized society we educate our children so they can grow up to become productive members of society, it’s not just a good idea, but the only way we can remain civilized democracy. Is it desire to turn us into a developing nation?
I am trying to raise awareness to improve the education for kids with special needs. I am indeed frustrated and upset, but my son’s eduction is the most important thing, which is why we take him to speech therapy 2x pw, a tutor 1x pw, music therapy and social skills 1x pw. I am trying to do the best by my son and advocate for others like him at the same time. I am doing my job as parent, but the county is not doing their jog. Half of HC education budget comes from state and federal money. Maybe the county should decline to accept this money if they do not want to comply with the the strings that come attached to it!