April 8, 2017, Baltimore Sun: Harford special needs school seeks zoning variance to expand http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/harford/aegis/ph-ag-special-needs-school-expansion-0407-20170406-story.html The operator of a Belcamp/Riverside area private school that serves students with special needs is seeking a zoning variance from Harford County to expand the school's capacity from 45 to 60 students…. The special exception allowed High Road School to expand its capacity from 30 students at its Perryville facility to 45 in the Belcamp building. As a result of the prior decision, however, capacity was capped at 45 students. The applicants want to increase the capacity to 60 students as the demand for their services grows, according to the application before the appeals board, which sought a modification, or variance, from the previous decision. The variance was denied by a zoning hearing examiner because "he didn't believe we could meet the legal threshold for uniqueness," Young told council members. Kahoe also heard the latest case. In his Oct. 31, 2016, opinion Kahoe concluded the parcel of land where the school is located "is simply not big enough" to accommodate more students, nor was the property itself unique to warrant granting the variance.
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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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