Special education students being barred from activities.?

Question

Do you think it is right for the school to tell special

education(kids with LD) they can not go out for

sports,go to school dances,can not go to the prom

etc? When I was in school in sped those kids were

told it is school policy they can not participate in

school activities. I remember one kid in my class

asked a girl(regular class) to the prom and the school said no.Parents threatened a lawsuit.

Answer 1

It is illegal now-

in some cases-a studnet who goes out of district for a special ed program acan even join the home district athletic program--

if they are to be barred-there has to be good reason and it must be made on an individual basis-

i.e. a student with a physical problem would not be allowed to be on varsity sports due to the danger to that student

Answer 2

They can't bar students with learning difficulties from any activity. The school system can bar a student from activities if that student is failing or is a discipline problem but to bar all students that has a learning disability from particapating is illegal and the school system can be sued.  

  5. Civil Rights Hotline

Call the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at 1-800-421-3481 to report any educational discrimination on the basis of race, s*x, DISABILITY, etc., request information on civil rights compliance programs, procedures for filing discrimination complaints, or access to civil rights regulatory and policy documents. The local number in Washington, D.C. is 202-245-6800. TTY: 1-877-521-2172. Email: [e-mail].

See the OCR Contact Us page to find the enforcement office serving your area or use the OCR Electronic Complaint Form.

You need to contact the US Department of Education ASAP.

Answer 3

Things have really changed since you were in school.  In the 70s you might have seen this, but not today.  I would also imagine they have something other than a learning disability.  Many kids have undiagnosed learning disabilities in the regular classroom and get by.

  Sorry but I don't believe this one exactly as written.

Answer 4

no i dont think this is right they dont do that theses days.who ever wont to go to the prom can now these days and year.they dont care what grade the person who the other person taking to the prom .

Answer 5

In the school I went to, 'special education' meant 'kids with serious behavioral problems'.  That's a good reason to keep them from participating in things like this - heck, we didn't have a single music class all year because they put the special ed kid in with us and he took off running as soon as class started.  The teacher spent all class, all year chasing after him and trying to get him to sit down and pay attention.  That's not really a good use of our time.

Answer 6

at the point when schools would have been identifying kids as LD, it would not have been legal to bar them from activities.  While there are some places that may like to ban some sped kids from activities, I don't think it is the LD kids they have in mind.

Answer 7

Schools are not suppose to do this. They could get a lawsuit slapped on them so fast their head would spin.

ANYTIME a school says 'its our policy'  you ALWAYS say -

Show me the policy

Answer 8

That policy is wrong and, I'm sure, illegal. Kids who happen to receive special education services are part of the school and should be treated as such.

Another respondent says that special education meant "serious behavioral problems." Any kid with serious behavioral problems, regardless of their educational status, might be barred from special events, but that's a different issue, and most kids with special needs don't have serious behavioral issues. They need help learning.

Support should be provided in school so there aren't disruptions. Nonetheless, I thought it was rather callous how that respondent assumes, from knowing one kid in special ed, that educating kids with special needs is "not a good use of our time." Learning a little compassion might actually have been a really good use of her time.

Answer 9

I don't think it is right! Kids like those just have trouble using their brain, otherwise they are just like regular humans. Anyways, if they go to that school, they should be able to participate in the school's activities if they please! It's outrageous. In some sports, I might think it is okay to not let them, for safety issues, depending on their conditions. Yet I still think activities like prom, dances, and more should allow them to participate unless their condition is pretty bad.