SPECIAL EDUCATION AND GIFTED EDUCATION ARE TARGETED ABUSE AREAS

As you read our teacher stories, you will note that a disproportionate number of these abused teachers worked with special education children. The primary reason for this is that there is more at stake in this area. The federal government provides funding for these students, which by now you must realize is an opportunity for playing shift the money.

Therefore, it is most important that these teachers be silenced, lest they begin advocating for their children and attempt to comply with the law when the district has other ideas for the money. In the case of Carrie Clark, and Jeff La Marca, they worked with disadvantaged children who received monies also. However, Pamella Settlegoode, Cheryl Mix, and Deborah and Debbie from Illinois, provide vivid descriptions of how being a special education teacher is even more treacherous than teaching a regular classroom, if that is possible. In the case of Karen Horwitz, a regular classroom teacher, she attempted to support some of her special needs children, and ventured into high stakes special education territory, never to return to teaching. She managed to secure a tape recording of a meeting that was not in compliance with Special Education laws and she was terminated for refusing to return that tape, amongst other trumped up charges. Horwitz was determined to have a jury hear that tape, and risked termination so that she could be instrumental in forcing accountability for special education students. Steve Rubin, the hearing officer who rendered a decision regarding this tape, deemed Horwitz unprofessional and insubordinate for playing that tape for two board members, as he saw no justification for her wanting the board members to hear the district's non compliance with the law. In his mind, she was breaching confidentiality even though the parents signed a document indicating they supported her using this in court. He decided that this was merely Horwitz pursuing her own gains, even though he frequently decides special education cases and is allegedly informed of the law in that arena. The system is well covered in that even someone in his position makes sure nothing leaks out by partaking in teacher abuse on behalf of the state if a teacher dares to defy her district. When NAPTA says organized crime, we mean organized. They have an abuser at every level, just waiting to finish off that renegade teacher who managed to slip past the first levels of abuse.

So as you learn about teacher abuse, keep in mind that it is even worse when a teacher is in a position that involves extra funding. This is no coincidence. And this does provide further proof that abuse is about money, and not simply about personality problems in administrators, although for many abuse does come naturally. (We do believe people with power problems and deep insecurities gravitate to this profession where leadership means fulfillment of their distorted egos. However, we believe they are welcomed with open arms, just as teachers with integrity and idealism are cleansed from the system the minute any of these traits appear.)

Remember, abuse equals silence; silence equals anything goes; federal funding equals opportunity; opportunity equals abuse; education equals Enron possibilities for the low achievers - those who are satisfied with thousands rather than millions.

Gifted education is another vulnerable area mainly because the parents of gifted children are extremely vested in their children's progress, not to mention that giftedness is normally genetic and these are the people who might see through the game if given the opportunity. Thus, administrators take special pains to eliminate any possibility that the gifted teacher develops a close rapport with her students' parents. At this point, the government is not funding gifted education to the extent it funds special education. However, it does mandate that these children receive an appropriate education, creating another potential for extra spending if the district does not hold in the reins. Therefore, a teacher in this area is more prone to being abused if she really cares about her children and advocates for them. And God protect her if she establishes rapport with parents.

Both SPECIAL EDUCATION and GIFTED EDUCATION warrant a special section to help the public understand the special issues that create more problems for parents and teachers. Also, these areas provide a disproportionate number of parent reformers since the children in the middle manage in spite of the system, while these two groups desperately need the system to work right for them. These are the people crying out for help, often being ignored by other parents who have no clue how dysfunctional the system really is. One does not know the competence of their doctor until they have a problem; the same thing applies for our schools. Therefore, the parents most aware of our failing schools have children with special needs. NAPTA intends to continue to provide more information for these areas, considering that these are the children most severely affected by teacher abuse and school corruption. We welcome any questions, requests or suggestions you might have to help us help you and we hope to establish helpful information and links specifically for these areas as we grow. E-MAIL NAPTA

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