Nov 20, 2019, ABC12, Flint, MI: Flint schools seek more special ed funding to erase $9 million debt https://www.abc12.com/content/news/Flint-schools-seek-more-special-ed-funding-to-erase-9-million-debt-565242972.html The superintendent is now waiting for the school board's suggestion on tackling the district's multi-million dollar debt. Flint Community Schools Superintendent Derrick Lopez said the state average of students who require special education services is 12%. But, that number is more than double in Flint Community Schools -- 24% to 26%. "Whether it be speech and language services, whether it be occupational therapy or physical therapy, could just be a simple social work service or psychology service," he said. "If it's in the IEP, we actually have to provide that." He has no problem with making sure each student's needs is met. The problem is the lack of funding for them…. So this past year, Flint Community Schools had to take $3.6 million out of the general fund to cover the cost of IEPs. "We need to have something different because the percentage of students that we have in special ed is climbing because of the lead crisis," said Karen Christian, the United Teachers of Flint president and a fifth grade teacher…. "Because we have kids just now coming into school that were born when the lead crisis started, we're gonna have even more students that are gonna end up with IEPs," Christian said. …
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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.
Loss of Brain Trust features over 9,000 news stories published worldwide since January, 2017
Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism
http://www.ageofautism.com/media/
(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)
CHECK OUT MY SUBSTACK:
https://annedachel.substack.com/
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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