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Should we fight for a one-on-one assistant for our son? The school district granted one two hours a day for his first month of kinder, but at an IEP last week, reduced those services to consultation two hours a month. My wife and I have been fighting this since February, arguing that though he “blends in nicely”, as the district claims, blending in is not one of his IEP goals. He is autistic and his goals address his difficulty socializing with the other students. Has his needs in this area disappeared after one month of school? We don’t think they have. The one-on-one herself said he had difficulty engaging during unstructured time. Can his goals be addressed by
Islamophobia, the virulent strain of religious hatred that has been spreading like wildfire across the country, is set to put in an appearance at the Texas State Board of Education.
Given how politicized the Board has been, and given how members regularly focus on religion and politics rather than education, this certainly shouldn't be surprising. But a lack of surprise doesn't make the impending actions any less unsettling. Indeed, watching the Board move in this direction is very much like watching a car wreck in slow motion. All the players are in place, they're heading for one another with the ensuing collision certain to yield dire consequences, and all you can do is sit there with your jaw dropped, hoping that what you're seeing isn't real.
In this case, it's all too real. But, perhaps with enough public outcry, Board members will act to avert the impending disaster. Then again, this is the Board that ignored the advice of science
