May 22, 2018, The Tennessean (Franklin, TN): Franklin Schools budget to increase slightly over last year https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/williamson/2018/05/22/franklin-schools-budget-increase-slightly-over-last-year/619322002/ …New positions to help special needs children About $546,676 has been proposed to fund new positions in the district. Most of the funding will turn part-time contractual jobs into full-time positions. Many of the district-wide positions — autism consultant, occupational therapist, deaf educator and school psychologist — have been proposed to meet the needs of certain student populations. The district has seen an increase in students with profoundly deaf students and students on the autistic spectrum. FSSD had 42 autistic students in 2014. That number increased to 62 autistic students in 2018. … Therapy dog For the first time ever, the district has included funding for a therapy dog to help special needs children. …
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.