June 22, 2017, Reading (PA) Eagle : Brandywine Heights School Board creates new special education position http://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/brandywine-heights-school-board-creates-new-special-education-position
The Brandywine Heights School Board has approved creating a special education intervention specialist position in the elementary school by moving a special education teacher from the high school into the new position and hiring someone part time to fill the teaching position.
Administrators said the goal is to work with children from a young age and help prevent them from needing special education services later on.
Dulcie Rothermel, director of pupil services, said the district has seen enrollment decrease while the number of special education students has increased to 18.9 percent, 3 percentage points higher than the 15.9 percent national average.
Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.