Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, August 29, 1994 TAG: 9408290070
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Proponents of ``full inclusion'' for severely disabled students fear that if a state hearing officer rules in the school system's favor, other school systems could take similar steps and damage such children's chances of functioning in the mainstream world.
``What's at stake here is a message that will go out to other [schools] that are struggling with the issue,'' said Jamie Ruppman of Vienna, an advocate of full inclusion whose adult son is autistic. ``Families are worried that their kid will be next.''
But such a ruling would be vindication for others, who said they believe that full inclusion is not possible for every child and that the concept has jeopardized worthy specialized programs for disabled students.
``When you talk about full inclusion, you're talking about getting rid of everything else,'' said Bernard Rimland, the director of the Autism Research Institute in San Diego whose 38-year-old son is autistic.
``Inclusion wouldn't have helped my son,'' Rimland said. ``His best progress was in small classes with dedicated teachers.''
The Loudoun case centers on Mark Hartmann, 9, who can't speak or write.
When he is upset or confused, he flaps his hands and screeches. But in happier moments, Mark blends in with the other children in his neighborhood. His skin is tanned and his thick hair bleached from a summer of playing and swimming. In the airy living room of his family's house, he takes pride in knowing how to work the videocassette recorder.
Mark, a second-grader last year at Ashburn Elementary School, is one of six severely disabled youngsters enrolled in regular classes in Loudoun.
During an Aug. 15 hearing, Mark's second-grade teacher said she often had to speak over his screeches to teach the other children. Diane Johnson also said she rarely gave individual instruction to her other students, choosing instead to spend time working with Mark.
``I think I neglected the students in my class,'' Johnson said. ``I can think of two children in particular who struggled through the year who could have done better if I had more time with them.''
Loudoun school officials said Mark is frustrated at not being able to keep up with his classmates and would show more progress in a specialized class.
But Mark's parents, Joseph and Roxanna Hartmann, said they blame the county for not sufficiently training Johnson or Mark's teaching aide in how to teach autistic youngsters and for failing to send in experts to work out difficulties as they arose. They said the suburban Chicago elementary school where Mark attended kindergarten and first grade took those steps and had more success.
Since the family moved to Loudoun a year ago, Roxanna Hartmann said Mark has regressed. Sometimes he hits himself or impulsively pulls off his clothing, signs of frustration she said she hasn't seen since he was 5.
Kathleen Mehfoud, the Loudoun school system's lawyer, said school officials remain committed to including disabled children whenever possible. The Hartmann case, she said, involves only what's best for Mark.
The hearing on Mark's final placement will resume in late September.
by CNB