Special Ed Students

Re “School Space Crunch Hits Special Education,” Aug. 26:

As parents of a special education student, it was disheartening to learn that once again his resource specialist classroom was moved to make room for a “regular” education class. The rush to make space for the primary grades (all over California) at the expense of the most vulnerable of our learners is truly despicable!

PAULA GERSHOY

DAVID LEVY

Malibu

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* Thank you for your excellent story on the plight of special education teachers who are scrambling for classroom space now that primary class size has been reduced to 20. I am a resource specialist, and have just learned that my classroom will be used for a first-grade class, and I will be sharing a room with ESL (English as a Second Language)--thus combining two programs which I believe are highly incompatible.

It is obvious that this latest twist in the ever-changing field of public education has resulted in decisions being made exclusively by numbers, and not by the needs of students. Your reporter succinctly summarizes the many years of work that have gone into the building of successful special education programs, only to see them dismantled in a few short weeks. Stay tuned for the next installment in this mind-boggling process!

NORMA STEWART

Arcadia