By Michelle Manchir; TribLocal reporter
Lombard Elementary School District 44 is one of 30 school districts in Illinois that will receive special attention from the Illinois State Board of Education this school year regarding how it serves its students with disabilities.
Parents of students who receive special education services have been invited to a public forum March 19 to discuss educational placement decisions for students with disabilities.
Less than half, or about 44.3 percent of students with disabilities in the district spend at least 80 percent of their school day in general education classrooms, said board of education spokeswoman Mary Fergus, which is under the state and national averages of of about 52.5 and 57 percent, respectively.
To help increase the number of special education students who are learning in general education classrooms, each year, districts with the lowest percentage of students inside general education classrooms for most of their school day are visited by state board officials.
At the March 19 forum, state board officials will be requesting input from parents in making placement decisions for their children.
District 44 Assistant Superintendent for Special Education Services Ellen Teelucksingh said the forum is giving parents an opportunity for their voice to be heard regarding the programs and services in the district.
The on-site school visits aim to eventually lead to increase the number of students in general education classrooms for students with disabilities, according to ISBE.
If District 44 needs to make any changes for the way it handles special education, they’ll know more after the state visit, Teelucksingh said.
The public forum is scheduled for 6 p.m. March 19 at the D44 Administration Center, 150 W. Madison St. in Lombard.
# http://triblocal.com/lombard/2012/03/09/state-to-review-d44s-special-education-programs/
No comments:
Post a Comment