04-11-1988 - Agenda Packet City Council - regular meeting

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Whenever s,nmeone talks about the "Food olc days" for schools I think of Billy. Billy was a lassmate 31 mine in grade school. Billy vas different from the other studentrs. He was retarded. Billy did poorly in school, acted out his frustrations. Aind generally was isolated within the classroom. His day consisted of a series of reprimands from teacher, and taunting remarks from fellow students. What was unusual about this situation is that Billy was in school at all. Generally speaking students with learning disabilities went undfagncsed and un- assisted. In -,,any cases students with severe prob- lems were kept at home or Isolated in Some iacility. Today the guiding principle is simply that ta:h child has • : right to an education within the least estric- tfve environment. For some students this means at- tend'1g regular classes while receiving assistance from a special education tescher. For others. with more severe disabilities, it may mean special classes or full attendance at special learning centers. Over the past twenty years considerable Attention has focused on students with special needs. And those needs vary greatly from severe retardation to hearing impairment, frcm mild retardation to an emotiot,al be- havior disorder, from speech difficulty to learning disabilities. The latter category, learning disabilities, comp Is* the largest group of special needs students served by the Orono Schools and most other school districts. In the "good ole days" students with learning dis- abilities were often labeled as "slow learners" or stupid. Frustrated by the ordinary classroom, these students frequently drvpped out of school. continued next column ORONO SCHOOL HOARD David McKotvn, Chairman 479-1692 Don Anderson, Vice Chairman 479-IAI0 "cie Taylor, Treaw er 473-1189 Kitty Croshy, Clerk 478-6037 Jim Franklin, Director 479-2130 John Maresh, Director 475-3197 'he tragedy A the Last way king tc a lack of know ledµe about learning disabilities. Students who have suet. disabilities are not stupid. !n f c a learn- ing disability is li-st determined by L discrepancy between the student's ability and his or her Achieve- ment. For example, a very bright boy or girl may suffer from a disability which impairs learning. The potential for learning exists, but the disability interferes. Special educators work with such students to help them compensate for the disability so they can reach their learning potential. Aa the expression goes "a mind is a terrible thing to wa:;te" and the efforts of spe- cial education teachers are detected at saving student potential and letting it be. realized. For more information about special education services, please contact Karen Orcutt. Director of Special Edu- cation, at :,13-7313. Ext. 214. Getting back to Billy. 1 lest track of him after grade school. He attended a junior high school where things were even rougher for him. -in repeated dares from unenlightened adolescents, he cut off a finger a* a paper cutter. Could some student somewhere have a similar fate to- day' The possibility exists, but the Orono Schools and all of the area school systems 1 am aware of are working hard to service student needs and ;wild self- concept. 1 have n: nostalgia for this aspect of the "good ole devs." Dr. Thomas B. Mieh Superintendent