Six years ago, Bristol Township was not in compliance with state inclusion standards. Districts that aren’t large enough to create their own classes for those students then must pay a far steeper price to send them to special schools or county intermediate units. Students with more severe disabilities and those with behavior issues sometimes aren’t suited for the regular classroom.
This often requires sweeping staff development and alternative instructional models, such as co-teaching. Meanwhile, federal mandates for inclusion and intensified monitoring by the Pennsylvania Department of Education compel school districts to fit most IEP students into the regular classroom for the majority of each school day. Pennsylvania’s commitment toward special education has been frozen at $1 billion for each of the last three years. The increasing numbers of students with Individualized Education Programs across the nation, partly due to the rise in autism, are juxtaposed with increasing costs and static or dwindling federal and state funding. Meeting the ever-growing demands of special education can be a challenge. “But there’s been a push, and it’s almost the opposite now.” “It used to be that once you were in special ed, you were out,” says Damon Smith, Bristol’s director of special education and pupil services. “It’s really creating that sense of belonging for all kids,” says Diane Paul, Pennsbury’s director of special education. “Now,” says McAnulty, “there’s been an acceptance that all students first belong in their neighborhood school and in a regular education class, and we take it from there.” The primary change has been in how Bristol Township and other local districts prioritize the practice of inclusion - including special education students in regular education classrooms as much as possible, with learning supports. “There’s been a whole shift of attitude in special education over the last 10 years, particularly in this district,” says James McAnulty, Bristol Township’s supervisor of secondary special education.
?Like many school districts in these turbulent economic times, Bristol Township has dealt with serious budget challenges.ĭespite those hurdles, its special education program remains an uplifting comeback story, maximizing resources and improving the learning environment for students with disabilities.
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