Again the administration is trying to combine the Cedar Valley Support Center to become K-6 due to low enrollment. This is a disappointing decision to make for our students with special needs. Our children are in the support center because they need support and are guaranteed an individualized education. Putting children of such a diverse age range in a classroom with only one teacher and only a few (paraeducators) is irresponsible educating or at best, simply a lack of understanding.

The district is federally mandated to supply their children a free education that is tailored to their individual needs. I’d like to see a curriculum plan for how this is going to happen for a classroom of children ages 5-12. You would never see a general education class combined over more than two grades. How is it OK to make our children with special needs be in a classroom that spans seven grades?

Instead of making this change, I challenge the Kent School District to resolve this problem. We have three Title I schools within three miles of each other. A solution could be to have a K-2 program at one school and a 3-6 program at another. There are probably many other solutions available, but putting all of our students with special needs in one classroom makes absolutely no sense.

The reason I am writing this letter is because of my son Nate. He has a diagnosis of high functioning autism. He transferred to Cedar Valley four years ago for kindergarten. He spent most of his day in the support center while getting some time with a paraeducator in the general education room. Slowly over the years he has become fully integrated into general education and will probably  — we haven’t had his IEP meeting for this year — move out of the SC program and into the IP program.

This is an achievement that I have dreamed of for so long! There is no way that he would have made it without the amazing efforts of his special ed teacher, Mrs. Hudgens and his paraeducator, Shannon Davis. They have been able to keep in close contact with me regarding his progress, letting me know what to work on at home. This has been invaluable. These educators are helping my son be as successful as possible. It would be a terrible shame to not provide other children at Cedar Valley the same opportunity. I could go on and on about my support of Cedar Valley but I’m afraid that you’ll stop reading.

Please reconsider and put our children first. Please support your children to be the best they can be.

Jackalyn Kalina Hattori

Kent