Nov 14, 2018, Davenport, IA, Quad City Times: State to take closer look at Davenport schools’ budget, special education program https://qctimes.com/news/local/state-to-take-closer-look-at-davenport-schools-budget-special/article_92549a42-edcd-519d-a598-15d9e769b33a.html The state education department will conduct a second, more in-depth on-site visit to oversee how the Davenport school district is fixing its myriad of woes regarding overspending in its budget, violated special education plans and disproportionality in its special education programs. … Multiple state board members said the situation was so dire that they felt compelled to remain involved. “This is a bad deal. This is more than just one case, one student. We’re in the thousand number. This is serious,” state board member Josh Byrnes said. “I think we have to (go) beyond monitoring. There has to be action taken. This can’t be acceptable in the state of Iowa where we’re known for great education.” … The state is monitoring how the Davenport district is resolving multiple issues: • The district budget is overspending by more than $13 million. • The district has a disproportionate number of minority students in its special education programs. • The district violated rules for individual education plans for special-needs students by not consulting with parents….
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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.
Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism
http://www.ageofautism.com/media/
(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)
What will happen in another 4 years? How can we go on like this? This is a national (and international) problem of monumental proportions. We have an entire new class of children who cannot be accommodated by the system: many are manifestly neurologically impaired. Meanwhile, the government and the medical profession sleep on regardless.
John Stone,
UK media editor, Age of Autism
The generation of American children born after 1990 are arguably the sickest generation in the history of our country.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
It seemed to me that with rising autism prevalence, you’d also see rising autism costs to society, and it turns out, the costs are catastrophic.
They calculated that in 2015 autism cost the United States $268 billion and they projected that if autism continues at its current rate, we’re looking at one trillion dollars a year in autism costs by 2025, so within five years.
Toby Rogers, PhD, Political economist
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