Friday, August 17, 2007

A Miss Use of Special Ed Classes

Yesterday while I was helping out at an organization that helps GLBT youth they got a phone call from a parent and the parent said that the school system where their daughter is enrolled was putting her into a Special Ed class. Not because she is disabled, not because she is a disturbance in class, not for any other reason except that she is transgenderd. She is a straight A student in Junior High School, takes part in after school activities and wants to come to school as a girl. The child has seen a psychologist and has been diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder. The school system where they lived last year had no problem with her coming to school as a girl, but the new school system wants her to be in a Special Ed class.

Wrong! That is a violation of the state Anti-Discrimination statues. Other schools systems in the state have developed policies for transgender student that follow the CT Department of Education guidelines and this school system should also develop a policy for students with GID and not push them off into a class where they do not belong. Besides it is a lot more expense for the school system to have someone in a Special Ed than in regular classes and it is a miss use of tax payer’s monies.

2 comments:

  1. Yes, I think your last comment is the key here: the school system see the chance to make some money off this student. They need to be called on that immediately.

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  2. This is absurd on so many levels. It comes down to both money and the fact that they wanted to brush this student under the rug. What a shame. I hope this situation is rectified.

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