Mentally Retarded students forced to pick up trash

[Political_Chucky]

Now, I don&#39;t understand the entire situation at my school, but discussing recent threads( The use of &#39;Retard&#39;/&#39;Retarded&#39; as insult, A form of prejudiced language (http://www.revleft.com/index.php?showtopic=63924&st=0&#entry1292280806)) have made me think about what happens at my school with kids with mental disabilities. Again, I do not understand the situation, but if I could recall correctly when I was a freshman and sophmore, when kids were sent to OCD(On Campus Detention) during lunch they were forced to go and pick up trash after students ate(along with janitors). Well since my junior year we have been at a different school because of remodeling issues and I have just recently gotten detention. I noticed at lunch we just sat there and didn&#39;t go and pick up trash like I remembered. Well a few days later I had to send a message to the office after lunch and I see the kids from the special ed classes picking up trash. I have now seen this numerous times. I have asked other students why this is and I just get responces "I dont&#39; know." I think this definitely has to be some form of discrimination. Why else would these students be picking it up? <_<

[Red Menace]

well i would approach this situation carefully. it may be a form of discrimination. they may be exploiting those children. but then you might wonder if they are performing a civil service, for their school, whether it was voluntary or not. this may be a way to give those children the same oppurtunities as the other children. I don&#39;t know. I suggest you ask teachers first. because if you ask the administration first, and they are exploiting those children, they will know that you are on to them, and halt their activities. You need to catch them in the act, if that is the case.

[Political_Chucky]

Yea that is what I was thinking also. My ROP teacher who I talked openly about my communist ideals is probably a good person I can ask about this. But I mean, i&#39;m not trying to put my actions where they are not wanted,( if it is voluntary)but I am concerned.

[RedCeltic]

I’m showing my age here again sadly, but when I was in high school in the 1980’s, youth with MRDD (Mental Retardation Developmental Disabilities) went to special schools and were fairly isolated from the public. Now days, there is a push to integrate them into the larger population. (at least the higher functioning / non behavior ones). It’s just odd to me, because special education when I was in school, only meant people who had trouble with school… slow learners, but not MRDD.

Anyway, I primarily work with adults, yet I believe that special education has similar programs. That is, they try to get them out into society, and also contribute to society. The picking up trash thing is something I personally have a problem with, as there are other activities that could achieve the same goal.

A group of us where I work, recently pushed for them to drop an “adopt a highway” program, that many saw as dangerous and pointless. Instead, the do several other activities like volunteering at a food bank, returning cans and bottles, etc… Some more higher functioning people even work at places like the supermarket bagging groceries.

Anyway, I don’t think it is specifically “Discrimination” but it is a task that gives a poor impression to the public. I suppose there is a balance between community integration and making a spectacle of them.

Talking to that teacher you have a good rapport by speaking about your political beliefs, seems like a good place to start. Perhaps mention some alternative activities.

[Pilar]

Chucky,

Hello. Fairness in schools in California is examined in a broad rather than narrow way. There are many ways that a child can find themselves picking up trash, and not all of them are punative.

A teacher can include trash pick up as part of a lesson, as an ecological world view, as a demonstration of keeping the community clean.

Where it is used as punishment, only that individual need be "fair". For example, the special education program might use it as a punishment, as students with IEPs (Individualized Educational Plans) are often exempt from typical punishments. As long as that teacher uses trash pick up equally, fairness is achieved.

It may be that that particular teacher has always used the method personally, regardless of what they might teach, and then fairness is also achieved.

It can be used for a specific wrong done by the child, such as trashing the classroom.

But, BASED ONLY ON WHAT YOU TOLD ME, I would opt that the special ed dept uses it because they don&#39;t use traditional suspension policy.

Now, you CAN suspend a child in special ed just as you can one in the general ed program. But let&#39;s say it&#39;s a pain administratively, or not the philospohy of the department. Maybe that&#39;s the reason why.

I see you like football and that you are in your senior year. It is unusual for high school athletes to be communist or similar, at least the ones who are varsity or on a similar level. They would not blend in with the booster-driven, patriotic, school supporter community view that most have. But I also read your education program has an alternative built into it (as does San Diego, where students may choose a different venue than the standard high school). I mention this because your athletic program could include its own set of rules and punishments.

Althletes are usually the most well behaved students, or at least for appearance sake, as they don&#39;t want to bring to their coaches any grief, and view letting their coaches down as a very upsetting thing to them personally.

I was a swimmer for Crawford High School in San Diego Unified. I&#39;m 22 now. The girl&#39;s swim program was probably similar to your situation. (with the possible exception that it is easier to hold one&#39;s political views to themselves as a swimmer, as opposed to a team sport)

Tell me more particulars about these special ed students if you like.

[RedCeltic]

As I had stated previously, I work with adults in the MRDD population. So I don’t know how behavior and discipline are treated within a special education setting for younger people in the population.

For adults however, when dealing with challenging behaviors we attempt to focus on positive results for positive behavior as opposed to focusing on negative results for negative behavior.

For example. (I’m restricted from discussing specific people and cases here) say there is a woman who is at a moderate functioning level who as Down Syndrome. She doesn’t like to get out of bed to go to work in the morning. (Who does?) Her behavior specialist may decide that if she is able to get out of bed on her own, without the need to be reminded multiple times… she will be able to go out for lunch on Friday.

Another example, say a lower functioning man who is highly aggressive and will attack people at random, the behavior specialist may decide that verbal praise will be given every hour he doesn’t exhibit such behavior. Or say a preferred treat like hot coco at the end of the evening.

One problem I’ve seen in this method from experience, is that some individuals come to expect rewards even if they exhibit poor behavior. Especially when staff is inconsistent in the use of the reward system. Therefore this sometimes fosters resentment to staff that actually do their job, and fosters more bad behavior.

In the case of this special education program. It may be that they are high functioning enough to understand and accept punishment. However, detention isn’t any real punishment for whatever reason, while litter patrol would be.