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Post by Kristen on May 28, 2004 11:38:31 GMT -5
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Post by MB on May 30, 2004 15:34:27 GMT -5
I tried to send an e-mail, but it was returned as undeliverable. Any news on this situation?
MB
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Post by didmyheartgood on May 30, 2004 16:53:54 GMT -5
This just outraged me!!!
I emailed the superindentent of the school directly..
Here is his address DKelly@lths.net
I also couldn't get through via the newspaper , so maybe if we all take the time to email this guy, we can change his mind about Brittney walking.....
Also, does anyone know how to contact some of the students???... It may be extreme, but I would have the students form a protest. I think the adminstration would allow Brittney to walk, in order to save face, if the students that are graduating refused to walk without her......
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Post by Sherri on May 30, 2004 18:10:40 GMT -5
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Post by Sherri on May 30, 2004 18:13:14 GMT -5
I also thought I would copy & paste the recent article in the paper that "my" above link is referenced to.
***************
Senior faces diploma dilemma
Lyons Township High says a student with Down syndrome must forfeit free job training if she participates in commencement
By Grace Aduroja
Tribune staff reporter
Published May 27, 2004
Despite having Down syndrome, Brittany Booth has completed the required coursework at Lyons Township High School in four years--without setting foot in a special-education classroom.
The 18-year-old was looking forward to donning a royal blue cap and gown on June 6 with her classmates. But the school board decided Wednesday that she can't participate in graduation and still be eligible for work-training services, for which the disabled are entitled until they turn 21.
"I worked my butt off in school every single day," said Booth, who wants to work in a nursing home and assist the elderly. "I get A's and B's in everything. I should be part of it; all my peers and friends are a part of it."
Booth and her parents had hoped for a compromise: She'd walk across the stage and be handed a certificate of completion instead of a diploma, preserving her right to free transitional training. But officials at the La Grange school have said it's a diploma or nothing. And if it's a diploma, she forfeits the training money.
Schools across the state allow disabled students to accept a certificate of completion in graduation ceremonies. It's a practice recommended by the Illinois State Board of Education.
"What we normally encourage districts to do is to allow students with disabilities to participate in graduation ceremonies even though they remain eligible for [training] services," said Karen Craven, spokeswoman for the state board. "We recommend to parents that they don't take the diploma."
Ultimately, it is a school's decision whether to award a certificate of completion. In the past, said members of the Lyons Township District 204 board, parents of disabled students either paid for the training after accepting a diploma--an estimated $4,000 a year--or had the child wait to complete services paid for by the district before participating in graduation.
Making an exception for Booth would mean treating her differently because she is disabled, district officials say, and would set a bad precedent.
"If you look at the word `graduation' in the dictionary, it's commencement, it's the end, it's the last thing you do in high school," said Supt. Dennis Kelly. "Graduation isn't a social event. It's the ending of a student's high school career."
Although Booth will be enrolled at Lyons Township High School next year, her mother, Kim, says she will not set foot on campus. She will spend mornings at the Technology Center of DuPage and afternoons at a work-study program organized by the school.
"We're asking for an accommodation, no doubt about it, but I don't think it's unreasonable and I don't think harm can come to others," her mother said. "It's important for her. How can I not push the issue?"
If Booth opts not to receive her diploma, the district will pay $4,000 a year for her classes at the Technology Center and cover transportation to her off-campus work site. The district also will provide her with a job coach, a school staffer paid with district and state funds.
Those costs "never even entered into the discussion" about her graduation, Kelly said.
Students at the school are signing a petition in support of Booth, and several residents have sent letters to administrators.
"I don't know why they won't let her walk. It's just appalling," said senior Bridget Doyle, 17. "They try and treat the special-education kids as normally as possible, but they're really not getting the same treatment."
But school board members say fairness to the district's 3,700 students was at the forefront of the difficult decision.
After consulting with a community advisory council and a special-education task force, the board determined it would be changing the rules to accommodate Booth's disability. Members said that would go against what parents of special-education students have supported for years.
They also said that making an exception would open the door for more requests to deviate from policy and eventually could split the graduation ceremony between students getting diplomas and those receiving certificates of completion.
"The Board of Education is not prepared to water down our commencement exercise, because this issue would never be dead," said Mark Pera, board president. "I know we are going to take a public relations hit for this stance, but this is a matter of principle for us."
The decision to participate or not lies with Booth's parents, he said, because the board is not barring her from the ceremony. If her parents are willing to pay for her post-graduation services, the district would be proud to have Booth walk with her 847 classmates, he said.
Kim Booth said the ruling is hard to accept because several neighboring districts give certificates of completion to special-education students who request them. Two years ago, a Neuqua Valley High School student with Down syndrome received a certificate and was chosen by his peers to deliver the graduation address.
"Our theory is that [graduation] is part of the transition," said Judy Hackett, assistant superintendent for student services at Indian Prairie School District 204, in which the Naperville school is located.
Down syndrome is a chromosomal defect that causes varying degrees of mental retardation. Educators stress that children with the condition are capable of learning, although school is more challenging.
Booth is a giggly teenager who has made the honor roll multiple times while performing on the school's competitive dance team and participating in soccer leagues and Girl Scouts. She proudly displays a blue T-shirt emblazoned with "Seniors 2004" and has been eagerly awaiting graduation festivities.
Until now, district officials have been receptive to the family's concerns and aided in their daughter's success, Kim Booth said.
"We stayed here so she'd be with all of these people," Booth said. "But our window of opportunity is really quite short, so I'm not holding my breath that the decision will change."
Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune
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