Belle Jackson’s story is a familiar one, being repeated in school districts throughout Clark County and throughout the state. In the process, it points out the difficulty of educating special education students in public schools and the need for additional legislative action.
Jackson is a 10-year-old in Evergreen Public Schools who has DiGeorge syndrome, a developmental disorder. Her story and the difficulty in finding specialized care and instruction in public schools was detailed recently by Columbian reporter Griffin Reilly.
At issue is an Individual Education Program that was developed for Belle in Florida – before her family moved to Clark County – and whether it is being followed by Evergreen schools. Also at issue is the broader question of special education students and their inclusion in general classrooms.
According to the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, approximately 143,000 students in Washington qualify for special education services. Federal law ensures services to students with disabilities, and the OSPI website says, “In exchange for federal money, schools must guarantee that all children with disabilities will receive a ‘free, appropriate public education.’”
That is the simplistic part; after that, the issue becomes more complicated. Special education students have varying needs and varying abilities, and implementing individualized plans is costly and time-consuming.
But it is the right thing to do, not only legally but morally. Generations ago, special-needs students were separated from the general student population or not provided access to any education. That has changed as federal and state laws have codified education as a basic right and recognized the benefits of inclusion. As one academic study summarizes: “Students who were included in general education obtained significantly higher scores on tests of achievement, including subtests measuring abstract and inferential skills.”
But what is best for one student might not be a good fit for another. In the case of Belle Jackson, her program recommends that no more than 40 percent of her day be spent in a general education classroom, and that a paraeducator provide one-on-one assistance throughout the day.
In Evergreen and elsewhere, there is a shortage of paraeducators. “Special ed students are entitled by law to get the help and support they need. And many of them are not getting it,” one paraeducator told The Columbian. “According to their IEPs, they are entitled to support. If that’s not being fulfilled, it could be violating their civil rights.”
Union officials say the Evergreen district had as many as 300 unfilled paraeducator positions last school year; nationally there are a reported 300,000 unfilled positions.
Addressing that problem requires more than aggressive recruitment on the part of school districts. When the Legislature passed a revamp of school funding in 2018 in response to the state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision, critics immediately pointed to a shortage of funding for special education. That includes the development, recruitment and retention of paraeducators. It also includes professional and administrative support for those educators, who closely work with vulnerable students.
Special education must be regarded as basic education. Washington’s constitution declares that public schools are the state’s “paramount duty”; unless all students are included, the state and its school districts are falling short of their mandate.
