calling all advocates - comment Macomb Daily Article

[Guest guest]

Please go on-line and check out yesterday's Macomb Daily Article

about East Detroit Public Schools & ACLU bias against black

students... http://www.macombdaily.com (look under news tab) Here is

a comment made by a possible " teacher " in the district. Let's set

them straight on the facts about students with disabilities!

Comment made from " Another Teacher "

" Regarding suspensions of disabled students, I'll say that it's more

or less impossible for me to comment on your particular case without

knowing which case it is. In general, I can say that laws are

probably occasionally broken in this district, like they are in every

other, largely because the laws regarding students with disabilities

are inconsistent, often contradictory, and would bankrupt most school

districts if fully implemented.

Students whose parents can claim their kids' misbehavior resulted

from the disability certainly DO get special treatment; it's illegal

to punish them for it. I've been in meetings where parents tried to

argue that the reason their children cursed at the teacher was

because the kid was LD in math. There's a lot of room for abuse in

the system, and some people who complain that the rules aren't being

followed are complaining so loudly because they're upset they're not

being allowed to abuse the system as much as they'd like.

I'm also wondering, Ms. McMurray, why it's pertinent to your

complaint to mention that the student was black. Are you suggesting

that the board or administration are less lax when dealing with

disabled students who are white? It seems an unnecessary detail to

include unless you're trying to imply racism.

In any case, I'd tell you the same thing I tell my students when they

complain that another student is bothering them. Just because things

didn't turn out the way you wanted, don't be certain that it wasn't

investigated. "