June 13, 2018, W. Goshen (PA) Daily Local: WCASD superintendent mulls ending annual school camping trip http://www.dailylocal.com/article/DL/20180613/NEWS/180619919 Tears flowed freely and emotions ran high for many of 30 public speakers in an audience of about 150, at a meeting to discuss a West Chester Area School District decision to end school camping trips to Cape Henlopen, Tuesday night at Peirce Middle School. Peirce seventh graders are the last of the district’s middle schoolers to take the camping trip to Delaware, a 49-year tradition. Stetson Middle School ended a similar trip to the Poconos in 2017 and Fugett Middle School has not taken an overnight trip with the entire class for about a decade. … • “The demands of our staff have continued to increase, as many of our students have a variety of medical issues that need to be closely monitored (asthma, allergies, etc.)” Missett wrote. • It is becoming increasing difficult to find quality substitute teachers while teachers are away on the trip. • “We have concerns about liability and responsibility that goes along with our staff supervising students overnight.” Missett wrote. Scanlon said that allowing teachers to cook for students is a “lawsuit waiting to happen. “While it is unfair, it is our reality,” Scanlon said. The superintendent attempted to dispel several rumors concerning the 49-year tradition. Canceling the trip is not a budget-based decision, he said. Parents pick up most of the cost…. Not everyone wants to keep the trip. Some agree with the decision. During the past two years, 49 students did not attend. Scanlon said the district has been fortunate, and just because there have been no liability issues and no complaints does not mean the district could not be held liable in the future. Some believe the district is trying to take all the fun out of school, Scanlon said. The district has pushed back on standardized testing, encouraged students to participate in after-school activities and modified homework policies, Scanlon said…. Most districts have moved away from hosting overnight trips. High schoolers do participate on overnight trips, though they are only held via clubs and don’t include the entire class…. Mother Tammy Hardgrave Ricciardi spoke on behalf of her son who participated this year. He suffers from food allergies and asthma. He brought all his own food. She was “shocked” to see what she interpreted as children with allergies and asthma listed as a reason for canceling the trip. In turn, some peers blamed her son on the cancellation of the tradition.
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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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