High school graduation ceremonies are a very exciting time. But for special education students and their families, it can be complicated.
Some families and advocates in Arizona say schools are removing students before they are ready. Now, following a report from KJZZ News, a bill has been introduced in the Arizona state legislature to address this issue.
palmer family
Piper Palmer and her mother Jennifer.
Piper Palmer is a senior at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale. But she won't graduate this year. Palmer is 20 years old and has cerebral palsy, which allows her to walk with assistance and tell jokes using a communication device. When she is given a spoon, she can scoop the yogurt from the cup and put it in her mouth. She is now learning to interact with her peers, such as playing simple games and having someone hold her hand. A special education student, her law allows her to stay in school until her 22nd birthday.
So when school officials informed the family last year that Piper had enough credits to graduate, his mother, Jennifer, was surprised.
All of a sudden, Piper moved from her “Functional Mathematics” class to her Algebra 2 class.
“Last year, right before I found out she was going to graduate, I started noticing, 'Oh, she's solving long division problems and she's also solving two-digit by two-digit multiplications.' I ask them, “How is that possible?” When she can't even count with me yet?
Valley students face 'forced graduation'
As it turns out, if you earn enough credits by your 22nd birthday, you can graduate from school. It was also discovered that Arizona provides incentives to schools that graduate special education students in four years.
Disability rights advocates call this “forced graduation,” but it's not just happening in the Scottsdale Unified School District. Schools across the Valley reportedly catch families off guard every spring when students are told they are about to graduate. KJZZ News interviewed her second family at Chaparral High School and several families in the Tempe Unified High School District.
Last June, KJZZ News first reported that a North High School student with Down syndrome would have been forced to graduate if a politically connected family friend hadn't intervened. At the time, a spokesperson for the Phoenix Union High School District said the district was not forcing any students to leave the school.
George Diaz, a longtime figure in Arizona politics, was happy to make things right for his friend. Now he and others want to fix the system for students in similar situations.
“Parents shouldn't be surprised.”
This week, Republican Sen. Ken Bennett introduced the bill at the request of Carla Phillips Krivikas, CEO and founder of Inclusive Strategies, a public relations firm that supports students with disabilities. Phillips Krivikas has a daughter with Down syndrome who attends a public high school in Phoenix.
“We call this bill the No Surprise Act, because the consistent theme starting with your article is, of course, that these parents are being caught by surprise. At worst, these parents are completely surprised because they think their kids will continue until they're 21. And my theory is that in fourth grade, whether their kids graduate or not. Parents shouldn't be surprised to learn that.”
Phillips Krivikas was surprised by the number of students in this situation.
“I talked to a mother in the West Valley about this forced graduation issue, and as she was telling her story, it was so obvious to me that this was happening in real time that it scared me. Oh, it's the same this year too.
The problem is so prevalent that the Arizona Disability Law Center has issued a warning to families about forced graduation.
Because school administrators refuse to acknowledge that this is happening, it is difficult to know exactly why special education students are being forced out by the system. This may be due to a lack of human resources or funding. Another reason is that states issue grades to public schools every year. One of the criteria is graduation rate. The school receives graduate credits in her four years. This includes students in special education, even though those students are legally allowed to stay in school for years beyond that.
“Schools should not be penalized for organizing programs for children with disabilities who are allowed to stay long-term, which is why we want to ensure this issue is addressed this year. I am.”
— Karla Phillips-Krivickas, CEO and Founder of Inclusive Strategies
“Schools should not be penalized for organizing programs for children with disabilities who are allowed to stay long-term. So we definitely want to address this issue this year,” Phillips Krivikas said. said.
Administrator denies problem
School administrators acknowledge that budgets are tight, but some argue that no one is being caught off guard.
Brooke Williams is the director of special education for the Scottsdale Unified School District.
“We don't shock them, right? Parents also participate in this conversation every year, and we discuss what math skills they're working on. What math units are they working on? Are you working on it? What are the graduation requirements? What does it look like? School teams are talking about it. Scenarios where families are suddenly informed that your student will be graduating I can't imagine that,” Williams said.
Liz Coker disagrees. Her son Zane is 17 years old. He has Down syndrome and autism, and Piper attends the same Chaparral High School as Palmer. Coker said he was caught off guard when school officials suddenly announced Zane was ready to graduate.
“I said, 'So he's saying he's graduating? “Is it because of time, because of the passage of time, that he met his high school requirements? I said, 'Because he hasn't achieved his goals.' He has not taken any classes and has no credits. No, it's not even close. ”
Lack of options after graduation
Families worry about what students will do next after they graduate. The No Surprises Act also addresses issues surrounding the transition from high school to the real world, requiring planning to begin early and laying the foundation for a student's future.
Brooke Williams of Scottsdale said the district has made great strides in offering better transition options, including programs at Scottsdale Community College. She admits none of this is easy.
“I think there are so many factors at play here. There are some districts where families and kids are trying to do the right thing. They're concerned about their students and what their next steps are going to be after high school. Some families are worried,” Williams said. “I think there's an element of community at work. So after students leave public education, whether it's four years, five years, six years later, , what options do we have?”
Parents say they don't have enough options.
Piper's mother, Jennifer Palmer, has experience as a special education teacher and administrator. She successfully persuaded Piper to extend his time at Chaparral. However, she is still worried about her daughter's future. Jennifer Palmer started looking for an adult program when Piper graduated from high school. There's not much out there, she says.
“You look at these places and you're so grateful that this place exists, but people stay there until they die and that's great for those families. But there are very few holes. And if there are any openings, Well, do I really want a 19-year-old kid and a 55-year-old man in a wheelchair? No, there's nothing in between.”
Jennifer Palmer said school is the only place Piper can be with her peers and continue learning and growing.
