Aug 12, 2017, NorthJersey.com: Hackensack superintendent plans for new school year, future http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/hackensack/2017/08/12/hackensack-superintendent-plans-new-school-year-future/527620001/
The increase in special education numbers is significant. We have a large special ed population in Hackensack. We’re known to have a good program. Parents come and say ‘I was told to come here.’ We have a great early childhood special education program. Providing for children on the autism spectrum.
I think our enrollment ... We’re hovering at just about almost 6,000 kids. Of that, I would say that we’re at 5,830. Our special education enrollment hovers around 18 percent. Which is a higher percentage than the state 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.