Thursday, July 29, 2010

This is Unacceptable: PPS Fails Us Again!

This will have to be short and to the point, since I am far too angry to think clearly and am posting this from the parking lot of the Hollywood Library.

The Early Intervention program at Edwards is closing. The kids are being moved out into other programs, the teachers are finding places to move on.

These kids are already at a disadvantage. They have a disability, or are socially vulnerable. Or in the case of my daughter - both. Now, they are being shoved around in an already over-crowded system, with little or no warning. Oh, no, we were told with one week to go. Thanks, PPS.

Now I have to think about what to do. Write to PPS, of course. But I am pissed, and that isn't going to be enough. The Oregonian? The local news channels? We as parents need to write in individually, but we also need to present a united front.

The nearest EI program for us, by the way, would be Roseway Heights. And that is NOT going to happen. I know this program, and loved the staff. Isaac did his EI with this team. But it is crowded, they get fewer services, and this little band of pre-K kids are shoved into a giant school full of K-8 graders. And for a child with ASD, social anxiety, and a fear of chaos, my daughter would fail miserably. Olivia will go to a private program.

And I know personally what happens when PPS fails these kids. They end up at Pioneer. Last resort. Kids being brought to class in security vehicles to prevent them from harming the driver. Kids hurling curses in the hallways sounding as if they suffer from Tourettes. And expensive per child due to the staff ratios and need for special services to help these failed children.

The fear goes one step deeper. What are they planning for Isaac's program in the fall?

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