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National PTA Position Statement
Education of Children with Special Needs
The National PTA believes that all children
have the right to a quality public education which allows each child the
opportunity to reach his or her fullest potential. The National PTA is committed
to the belief that all children can learn and that school and family
collaboration is essential to successful academic and developmental growth.
Given this commitment, the National PTA supports a variety of public education
and related support services that benefit the learning of all children.
An effective program for children with
disabilities should include the following components:
Parent and Family
Involvement
 | School districts must inform parents of
their rights under federal, state and/or local statutes and policies governing
special education programs at the beginning of each school year and whenever
policy changes occur. |
| Parents of disabled children must have an
active role in working with the school to develop an instructional program
and/or other related services based on the needs of children with
disabilities. Such a program must include the following:
 | Educational services must be based on a
complete and individual evaluation and assessment of the specific and unique
needs of each child; |
| An Individual Education Program (IEP) will
be co-developed with parents and educators for every child or youth that is
disabled stating precisely what kinds of special education and related
services he or she will receive; |
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| Parents have the right and must be involved
in every decision related to the identification, evaluation, and placement of
their child or youth with disability; |
| Parents must give consent for any initial
evaluation or placement, approve any proposed changes in placement, and be
included, along with teachers and other professionals, in conferences and
meetings held to write individual programs; |
| Parents have the right to confidentiality of
their child's education records; |
| Parents have the right to challenge and
appeal any decision related to the identification, evaluation and placement
of, or any issue concerning the provisions of free appropriate public
education (FAPE) for their child; |
Least Restrictive
Environment
The National PTA believes that:
| To the extent appropriate, all children and
youth with disabilities will be educated in the regular education environment
alongside their nondisabled peers. |
| Special classes, separate schooling, or
other removal of children with disabilities from this environment occurs only
when the nature and severity of the disability are such that education in
regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be
satisfactorily achieved. |
| All students benefit from education that
values and practices the recognition and support of including nondisabled
children in the same classroom as disabled children. Inclusion, as a means for
implementing the least restrictive environment, works only when the curriculum
is changed to meet the needs of all children.
| The National PTA believes a successful
inclusion program includes the following: |
| A planning process which includes parents,
regular and special education teachers, the principal, and support personnel
from areas of related services which develops the objectives to support
inclusion programs at any level (whether individual, classroom, school, or
school district); |
| Full involvement by parents in planning
the inclusion program with an ongoing awareness between the school and all
parents related to the needs of children; |
| Training for both parents and staff to
fully integrate services for both disabled and nondisabled children -
general educators must be provided with the training they need to meet the
special learning and behavioral needs of students; |
| Resources available to support the
appropriate needs of the children, which could include: additional staffing
(another teacher, a paraprofessional or an aide); individualized learning
stations or modules; a resource room, assistive technology including
computers and multimedia, peer tutoring, and summer school programs;
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| Adaptations in the regular curriculum to
meet the special and individualized needs of each student in the program,
which may include the use of supplemental materials, special remedial
teaching for students falling behind in work, cooperative learning
opportunities, or changes in core curriculum materials; |
| Whenever possible, Head Start, Title I,
bilingual and vocational education programs should cooperate in providing
services to children with disabilities. |
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Discipline
The National PTA believes that:
| Schools should ensure safe and disciplined
classrooms, and that the most effective way to create and maintain a safe
school is through measures that prevent discipline problems before they start;
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| Students who are disabled should not be
expelled for disciplinary violations but should be provided alternative
educational settings that address the discipline problem while maintaining the
educational program as stipulated in the IEP; |
| Methods for the swift removal from the IEP
setting of children who are a substantial danger to themselves or to others be
implemented for up to ten days; |
| No change can occur in the IEP placement of
a child beyond the ten day period without the consent of the parents. If a
change in placement is necessary, the school must work with parents and the
IEP team discussion should include the development of a behavioral management
plan listing alternatives that would be mutually acceptable in cases of
behavioral problems necessitating change. |
Funding
The National PTA believes that:
| The federal government should meet its
funding commitment for special education children including toddler,
preschool, elementary and secondary levels, and that no public school should
be required to use its funding to subsidize nonpublic schools for special
education services. |
| Other community entities that provide
related services to students such as health care, counseling, social services,
and hospitals should be expected to share in the cost or delivery of services
to children who are disabled. |
The National PTA believes:
| The state and local school district is
accountable for guaranteeing that each child with a disability is provided a
free and appropriate education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment;
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| Effective accountability for academic and
school-to-work transition results should focus on both the individual child
and the school district, and should include the following:
| An IEP for each child which includes the
essential elements for achievement, including measurable annual objectives
and access to the general curriculum coordinated with district and/or
state-wide learning standards and objectives; |
| An annual review at which time the school
determines whether the yearly objectives of the IEP have been achieved and
revises the child's program to address areas of needed improvement;
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| Overall school, school district and/or
state accountability measures that include children with disabilities so
parents and educators know how well each entity is doing in improving the
results for students with disabilities; |
| Inclusion of special education by each
state and local community as part of any district and state-wide improvement
plan(s) calling for educational standards and assessment; |
| School and school district program
evaluations to determine how well the special education services met the
needs of parents of students with disabilities including related services,
parent and family involvement, and diagnostic and referral services;
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| The state is responsible for establishing,
with parental involvement, state special education objectives coordinated
with objectives required of all children, standards for special education
teacher training, and parent and teacher professional development;
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| Reduction of regulatory burdens (to the
extent possible) to allow greater flexibility, reduce duplication, and
diminish fragmentation to better meet the needs of families and students
with disabilities—while at the same time assuring that there be no reduction
in services or parent and family involvement in making decisions about their
children. |
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Other Considerations for
Children with Special Needs
The National PTA:
| Encourages every local governing PTA board
to become informed, and to educate its membership, about the implementation of
federal legislation such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA) or other legislation crafted for children and youth with disabilities;
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| Believes that statutes, rules, regulations,
and educational options and programs should apply the same to children with
disabilities from families in the Department of Defense schools as they do to
children with disabilities in schools within the United States. |
| Supports the protection of the rights of
children with special needs and those of their parents or guardians including
due process. |
| Supports the creation of a timely review
system if a difference of opinion regarding the education of special needs
children occurs between parents and local schools. In the interests of all
children served by the school community, the school district has the option of
appealing differences regarding the education of special needs children
between parents and the local school to a hearing officer or a mediator with
the mutual goal of providing a free and appropriate education for all
children. |
| Urges state, council and local PTAs, schools
and community groups to support active efforts to develop programs such as the
Special Olympics, which would involve children with special needs in school
physical education, before-or after-school sports, and/or recreational
programs which are physically and developmentally appropriate. |
Copyright ©2000, National PTA. All Rights
Reserved.
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