To ensure students with disabilities receive equitable instruction, all U.S. schools are subject to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, which guarantees funding for schools that fulfill a set of requirements around SpEd. An effective SpEd program must consider the level of integration with General Education classes, staff training and the needs of individual students.

Background

SpEd at PAUSD and Gunn comprises multiple programs, which can be adapted to support the differing needs of all students with disabilities. At PAUSD, students enter the SpEd program when a parent or staff member submits a verbal or written referral to the district. The referred student’s parents then work with district staff to decide the student’s eligibility for an individualized education program, taking into account the student’s academic history, along with a reading and math assessment administered by PAUSD.

According to Gunn Special Education Coordinator Teri Lee, students can enter the SpEd program if they have a disability that impacts their learning and need accommodations. Students with mild to moderate disabilities sometimes struggle with speech or attention span and don’t usually require an in-class aide. Students with moderate to severe disabilities, however, often require the assistance of a specialized aide or teacher throughout the school day.

Outside of the entry process, SpEd plans differ greatly from student to student. For students with mild learning difficulties, IEPs focus on making their in-class experiences easier, including accommodations such as extra time on tests, the option to take exams in quiet settings, frequent teacher check-ins and movement breaks. These accommodations aim to help students participate in GenEd classes alongside their peers.

The Futures program, least integrated with GenEd classes, serves students with moderate to severe learning differences. Although daily schedules and activities vary from student to student, most Futures students spend three periods in GenEd classes and four periods in a specialized classroom where they receive additional support.

Integration

One of IDEA’s major goals is to keep all students in the same classroom “to the maximum extent appropriate to the education needs of the students with disabilities.” However, “maximum extent appropriate” varies from student to student, and opinions sometimes differ on what the correct measure is.

According to Lee, Gunn incorporates students into GenEd as much as possible, providing accommodations and separate classes if necessary.

“We always want to start in General Education, and then based on the student’s needs, work our way back from there,” she said.

Some schools are built around a philosophy of maximum inclusion, such as Hope Technology School, a private school in Palo Alto. HTS follows the Universal Design for Learning model, putting students in the same classroom as much as possible and accommodating all learners’ needs and abilities. HTS classrooms ensure that students are all able to participate in class by adding occasional breaks and flexible amounts of classwork.

Although the UDL model might help some students with disabilities, having all students in the same classroom for more challenging classes can frustrate SpEd and GenEd students alike. Yael Naveh, a parent of a Futures student, said that putting her child in GenEd classes when he isn’t at the same level as the rest of the class inhibits his learning.

“Sticking a kid like mine in an algebra class when he’s doing second-grade-level (math) doesn’t really have much meaning for him,” she said. “And it’s not necessarily constructive to him learning, because all that will happen will be that he will have to work on something completely different.”

Momoyo Yanagihara, a parent of a Futures student, pointed out that SpEd has to focus both on inclusion and educational level.

“I just want my son to be in an appropriate environment for him, and that may mean (being) excluded sometimes,” Yanagihara said. “If he’s in a regular PE class, he might have fun, but sometimes it might not be the right level for him.”

Parent Tina Chow, however, whose son freshman Nikolaos Chow uses a letter board to communicate, believes more coordination and creativity with UDL approaches is needed in order to make the GenEd curriculum more inclusive.

“(Other students) are talking back and forth, and who’s going to wait for Nikolaos to spell out his answer?” she said. “So what would be a UDL way to approach that? Maybe everybody has to provide written answers, instead of just blurting them out, so then he has time to write something.” Unlike Gunn, HTS’ smaller class sizes make focusing on individual needs significantly easier and the UDL model more feasible. HTS’ model, however, requires significant time and attention that many Gunn teachers and aides cannot afford.

That being said, Gunn’s Unity PE is a powerful tool for inclusion. Unity PE puts GenEd students in the same class as SpEd students, enabling students to help and form friendships with one another. Naveh and Yanagihara have praised Unity PE for providing their students with social interactions and friendships that extend outside of school.

Gunn also offers co-taught classes, which are instructed by two teachers and occasionally an aide, as another way to keep students in one classroom. Co-taught classes include students with and without learning challenges, allowing those with moderate learning differences to remain in a classroom with their peers not in SpEd. Social studies teacher Patrick Rode, who co-teaches two classes, noted how the format is also helpful for teachers.

“It almost forces you to be more creative and provide more opportunities or different learning strategies for all of the learners in the classroom,” he said.

Rode also mentioned that co-taught classes benefit GenEd students by exposing them to alternative learning styles.

“I love having the students work together because you get multiple perspectives,” Rode said. “And that’s a life skill. … Starting at the high school level for the students is really beneficial.”

Staffing Shortages

Staffing district SpEd programs proves a challenge nationwide, according to Gunn SpEd Instructional Lead Briana Gonzalez.

“There’s such an incredible shortage when it comes to not only instructional aides for SpEd but also qualified educational specialists,” she said. “This shortage can absolutely lead to challenges, such as providing individualized support and attention for students with IEPs.”

For Nikolaos Chow, this shortage of aides has made participation in GenEd classes like Algebra II/Trigonometry Honors difficult.

“It takes me a long time to write my responses, and the aide needs to have specialized training to know how to support me with the letter board,” he spelled out on the letter board. “The school knows that I need this support, and they are providing training to the aides, but it is not enough. It is almost December and we have explained the need for training to the school many times, but there have been so many delays. This basically means that I cannot participate in class by sharing my opinions or thoughts, and so it is easy to get super frustrated because I am not able to really be included.”

Tina Chow emphasized the need for specialized training in order for aides to become familiar with the student and their learning method. As aides come and go, however, familiarity with individual students is often jeopardized, and existing aides must take on additional responsibilities. Instructional aide Keanna Martinez explains that this creates much more stress and pressure.

“Having one-on-ones is definitely a lot easier because each kid needs that certain attention, and when we have (shortages), we’re not able to fully commit ourselves to one student and give our day our all because we’re running around going from Point A to Point B,” she said. “If another aide gets sick or has to go somewhere, we have to move one aide to another aide’s spot, and it’s like a domino effect of problem after problem if we don’t get that necessary support.”

Gunn is working to hire and train more aides to support a diverse array of students, according to Gonzalez. For instance, instructional aides were invited to participate in teacher development days and meet with the teachers that they’re supporting this year.

“They sat with those teachers and together reviewed instructional accommodations, and also which strategies (they’ve) observed that are working or not working,” she said. “It’s something I hope we can continue to do because this is really how we make sure that instructional aides are part of the conversation.”

Fostering Inclusivity

With Gunn’s broad range of SpEd programs, Gonzalez said an inclusive environment is especially important because of the stigma that exists surrounding SpEd.

“Students may hold stereotypes or lack in understanding of the diverse abilities that exist among all our Gunn High School students,” she said.

She noted that daily language, which shapes our perception of the world, plays a major role in enforcing or dismantling the stigma around SpEd and disability.

“If we can change our own language here at Gunn so it’s more inclusive, that’s encouraging respective communication, which builds toward creating a respective, positive, inclusive atmosphere,” she said.

For example, she proposes changing the “handicapped spot” in the parking lot to “accessible parking,” de-emphasizing the presence of a disability.

According to SpEd Specialist Sandra Conklin, GenEd students can also create an inclusive environment, by being open to learning from SpEd students, who are just like other teenagers.

“Everyone is different; we all have gifts and we have something to offer the community,” she said. “They’re teenagers. They want to have friends — they have crushes. They happen to have a couple more challenges, but they also have some gifts that other people don’t have.”

Many opportunities exist for GenEd students to interact with SpEd students, both inside and outside the classroom. Conklin encourages students to join Unity PE and the Best Buddies Club, which meets on Thursdays in Room F-2 and brings students together through activities like board games, cooking and sports. She adds that even the simplest gestures can make a difference in SpEd students’ experiences at Gunn.

“If you’re walking around a campus and you see a Special Ed student sitting by themselves, ask them to join you,” she said. “Volunteer to take some kids to assemblies (and) reach out to include the kids in what you would normally do in a high school day because these are often kids who don’t have that group that they go to assemblies and dances with.”

Gonzalez believes that this kind of inclusivity should be a goal of not only students but educators as well.

“For teachers, regardless of subject — whether it’s a co-taught course or an honors course or AP — we should always be thinking and implementing changes in our teaching style and curriculum to support all students,” she said. “Each generation we have a new group of learners. Technology has changed, curriculum has grown, information has changed. I think we ourselves also have to.”

The goal of the event, along with other activities hosted by Student Executive Council during the week, was to increase awareness on neurodiversity.

Co-Diversity Commissioner junior Angelina Rosh was pleased with Lantern Night and felt that it served as a strong close to the week’s events. “Seeing so many students come to our lantern lighting and take the time to engage with our activities gave me hope for a more inclusive student population,” she said. “As diversity commissioners on SEC, one of our main priorities for this year was celebrating neurodiversity, as it is often overlooked.”

Junior Jackson Kanegan felt that the Lantern Night was a novel experience. “I really enjoyed how this event allowed me to experience interacting with a community that I’ve never spent much time with previously,” he said. “I had a lot of fun, and the free food was obviously a bonus.”

Rosh hopes that the event raised awareness on a topic that isn’t well-talked about. “We hope this week inspired students to have a greater consciousness for how they navigate neurodiversity,” she said.

Syverston shared some of her favorite memories from her time at Gunn, such as the annual Special Olympics event where she got to know, help out, and have fun with kids all across the district. “It’s my favorite memory to go out there and to spend the day with all the kids in the district,” she said. “They all run as much as they can and throw and play games.” 

Syverston also shared a favorite story of hers that happened in Amy Anderson’s physical education (PE) class, with adaptive PE teacher, Angel Sheridan. “We worked with kids to get them to interact socially with their peers,” Syverston said. 

There are a lot of Gunn traditions to witness and take part in. One that Syverston will miss is the senior paper toss on the last day of school. Another fun memory is helping her students ask someone to homecoming, “I will miss trying to teach some of my kids how to ask somebody out to homecoming dance,” she said. “That was always fun to do.”

After retirement, Syverston plans on moving up to Humboldt County where she will teach part-time at the local college, and plan on doing more things she enjoys, including hiking, cooking, and remodeling her house. Still, she won’t forget the bonds she’s made with students and staff. “I’m gonna miss the people and the kids the most,” she said. “I won’t miss the paperwork.”

The plan will be “pedagogically unsound,” according to the letter. Furthermore, the letter points to the difficulties associated with having both the English and social studies departments adjust to in-person hybrid learning for second semester. “Navigating an entirely new hybrid process while still being asked to undertake the challenge of distance learning will stretch teachers too thin and be a disservice to our students,” the letter reads.

With reasons echoing community backlash to the plan from Tuesday night, the letter cites potential disruptions to educational consistency, class sizes, student-teacher relationships and the impact on Small Learning Communities, the Social Justice Pathway and special electives. It also expresses concerns about the viability of the hybrid classroom environment.

The letter also highlights the administration’s lack of transparency and questions the district’s decision-making process. “We should be a district that makes the hard decision to choose wisely, to choose reality over what is politically easy,” it reads. “We all want our hallways to ‘sound like school again,’ but the appearance of school is not the same as real public education—one committed to principles of equity—and we know that student learning is what matters most.”

Neither the administration nor the board has issued a response yet. 

View the complete letter here. 

In the initial response period to the virus, families contacted the district with a variety of concerns. School Board Member Jennifer DiBrienza highlighted the emotional responses from families. “We have heard from parents of students saying, ‘We want more stuff, we want to just be as normal as possible. We want to feel like we’re in school all day,’ and other families that have reached out and said, ‘Please don’t do quite so much, we’re just trying to stay afloat here,’” DiBrienza said. At the April 21 school board meeting, DiBrienza mentioned her own student’s reaction to the lockdown. “My kid had anxiety before, and their anxiety is sky-high now and they can’t engage in work at all,” she said. In order to communicate with families and ensure that they are receiving the support they need, DiBrienza pointed to the district’s newly-established resources page. “We let people know, ‘Hey, if you’re struggling emotionally here’s somewhere you can go,’” she said.

For students in the Special Education department, it can be especially difficult to navigate the online learning platform without inperson support. Special Education department Instructional Lead Teri Lee emphasized the department’s efforts to try to replicate in-person interactions online. “Students have case managers who are working with them via Schoology messages, Zoom sessions, all of those things,” she said. “We also have virtual academic support classrooms that are available with teachers and instructional aides for students with their assignments that way. Then, to receive additional services, [such as] speech and language therapy or physical therapy or occupational therapy, they’re receiving those services through telephone service as well.”

However, PAUSD Secondary Education Program Specialist Jacqueline Selfridge cited the lack of physical interactions as an obstacle for students. “Having that face-to-face contact for students is really important, being able to work one-on-one or even in a small group in-person with teachers,” she said. “It’s really hard to do online.”

While making decisions about the structure of online learning during this time, the district accounts for the impact on every family, such as living conditions or responsibilities family members must juggle. “Some students are having to even work outside of the home to help their families right now, so they’re going to work with their parents, and that is really challenging, because then when are the students supposed to get their homework done?” DiBrienza said. “Some have younger siblings that they’re taking care of.”

Another factor that the district accounts for is the economic impact on students of being away from school. “Some of our families really rely on the school district for food, mental health services, for different services beyond academics, and those are harder to fulfill,” DiBrienza said. The district has also been working to provide reduced or free lunches to those students who qualify. “The district now is delivering, I believe, over 100 meals a day to people’s houses, because some families need the school lunch but they don’t have a car, or the parent is at work, or they don’t live anywhere close enough to a school that they can walk,” DiBrienza said. Privacy laws have become an obstacle in connecting with and accommodating every family, however. “If you qualify for free or reduced lunch, not every district employee gets to know who that list is. So the principal doesn’t even know who in her school qualifies for free or reduced lunch,” DiBrienza said.

Some students also lack the technology to join Zoom meetings with teachers and classmates. The district immediately responded to provide the appropriate technology. “The first thing [we did] as soon as we shut down was [to ask] who can access Schoology and technology from home,” DiBrienza said. “We’ve given out somewhere between 2,500 to 3,000 devices to PAUSD students.”

At the end of the day, the district recognizes that a vast variety of situations exist, and tries to accommodate all situations before making any decisions about education. “There are some kids that are worried about where their next meal is going to come from, and that are worried about a parent who’s an essential worker or sick,” DiBrienza said. “Other kids are just bored and frustrated, missing their friends. They’re all valid worries, but they’re very different.”

Betsy DeVos’ confirmation as Secretary of Education on Feb. 7 has been met with opposition by many teachers and parents across the United States due to her lack of experience working in public education. Concerns also reside in Palo Alto because of DeVos’ voucher program for private schools and ambiguity about disability and Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights.

Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) Superintendent Dr. Max McGee believes that it would be valuable for DeVos to understand how public education is a foundational component of our democratic society. “I think she’s already learned that she has a lot to learn,” McGee said. “If she takes some time, she can understand programs, services and our best practices that should be replicated around the country. She’s not going to learn it by reading about it. She needs to get out and about and really immerse herself in public schools the first year or two on the job.”

Palo Alto Educators Association president Teri Baldwin believes that the appointment of Betsy DeVos is harmful to public schools. “She is someone who has advocated and funded initiatives for privately-managed charter schools and vouchers to private schools, both of which drain funds from public schools,” Baldwin said. Baldwin states that private and charter schools are not held to the same high standards as public schools, and that oversight is often lacking. “Teachers are not protected in those schools, so they are very fearful to advocate for their students because they are in fear of losing their jobs,” Baldwin said.

The school voucher program DeVos is advocating for is a major government program that provides low-income families, the elderly and the disabled with opportunities for better education. The voucher allows parents to use public funds to pay for their child’s private school tuition. According to the California Teachers Association (CTA), the school voucher program harms students at public schools because it takes money from public education funds. By taking money out of public school systems to let a few students attend private school, only a few benefit while most are disadvantaged because of the program.

Baldwin states that research indicates that results for charter schools are often mixed, with many performing worse than public schools. “In many cases [charter schools] have failed students, but continue to make money for their investors and CEOs,” Baldwin said. “The people who run these charter schools are in business to make money off of education—these are business people who are often not educators.”

McGee believes that if DeVos’ goal is to have a more privatized schooling system, she will not be successful. “It’s a waste of time and money, because what matters is what happens inside schools,” he said.

Baldwin is wary of DeVos’ lack of knowledge and bias towards people with disabilities and the LGBT community, and her stance on gun control. “Having someone in this important role who doesn’t have any dealings with any kind of diversity outside her realm of the wealthy white perspective and has no experience with public education should concern everyone who values these experiences in our public schools,” Baldwin said.

Principal Dr. Denise Herrmann also believes that DeVos does not truly realize what schools need to help students. According to Herrmann, education is very different from businesses since it is not about manufacturing something; rather it is about supporting students and learning. “It’s 10 times more complicated than people realize when they’re on the outside looking in,” Herrmann said. “She has a misunderstanding about all the factors that contribute to a student doing better in school.”

McGee believes that the Trump administration needs to think more deeply about the value and importance of freedom of speech. “Diversity enriches our understanding and enhances creativity,” McGee said. “I hope someone in the federal government steps up to advocate for opportunity and access for all students and embracing diversity, because I think that will strengthen our public schools and society.”

Herrmann believes public education is very important because it gives every student the opportunity to become a better and more educated person. DeVos’ disregard of public schools worries Herrmann. “I am cautious in my prediction of what may be some of her actions; her past track record definitely is in support of diverting public funds to private institutions,” Herrmann said. “I believe that is against what our country was founded on.”

DeVos has impacted Michigan the most, but not in a way that some teachers appreciated, according to Palo Alto High School (Paly) teacher Rodney Satterthwaite, who is originally from Michigan and taught there. DeVos advocated for laws that hindered teacher unions from protecting teachers’ rights, cut teachers’ benefits and salaries, increased class sizes and even closed underperforming schools. “[DeVos’ push to destroy public education] really demoralized teachers in Michigan,” Satterthwaite said. “It brought my wife and I to the point where we realized either we have to find something else to do or to start teaching elsewhere.”

Baldwin is hopeful that DeVos’ appointment will not affect students in Palo Alto. She believes that PAUSD schools are exceptional and that many in the community value the quality of the education. “I do not believe that the community would push for charter schools that will take resources away from our public schools to fund them,” Baldwin said. “We have extremely innovative programs, talented teachers and our students excel.” However, in other areas—especially more impoverished areas—Baldwin believes that DeVos’ decisions can devastate schools. “Charters and voucher programs have been proven to help the wealthy and disenfranchise poor, middle class, minority and special needs students,” Baldwin said.

As of now, McGee does not believe that DeVos will have an impact on PAUSD unless there is a major policy switch. “It really depends on her policies, but I don’t think our teachers, parents and students are going to feel it,” McGee said. According to McGee, states are responsible for education and PAUSD doesn’t receive much funding from the federal government. “Local control is a powerful principle,” McGee said. “Federal government can’t have a great impact other than through policy.”

DeVos’ focus on special education was questioned during her confirmation in which she showed a lack of understanding for laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that ensures that students with special needs or disabilities have the opportunity to receive a free appropriate education. She later rectified that mistake in a letter she sent to Senator Isakson, a member of the Senate Education Committee. The Chair of the Palo Alto Community Advisory Committee for Special Education Kimberly Eng Lee trusts that people who need special education will be cared for here in California. “Because of strong state-level leadership in California’s education, if control is more localized, I am not as worried and we should always be vigilant about protecting students’ rights for a quality education,” Lee said.

With the help of thoughtful efforts to seek first to understand and then develop solutions for education, McGee believes that the Secretary of Education can have a positive impact on a large scale. “I think she’d be well advised to spend some time with some of her predecessors, and maybe carry on some of the good work that they started,” McGee said. “DeVos can ideally use the federal Department of Education as an opportunity to replicate what works best in education to facilitate and fund the best practices to make them accessible to all districts in our country.” McGee thinks that public policy should have long-reaching and positive impacts, and if DeVos wants to make a difference, she should work on a few major policies that are informed by both research and education’s best practices.

The federal government possesses the power to greatly impact education through policy, and McGee hopes that it uses this power to create a positive impact. “I hope it plays an important role in providing funding and support for replicating successful programs, and not just trying to be a compliant organization,” McGee said. “The Title I and IX policies—providing funding for low income families and desegregating public schools—were a great contribution by the federal government.”

Public policy is going to have a high impact even beyond our campus and school district orders, and McGee emphasizes the importance and need for students to be advocates for public education. “It’s very easy sometimes for us to focus on a local issue, whether it’s the Securly system on our Chromebooks or the weighted grading,” McGee said. “I think the student voice ought to have more of a place in state and federal policy.”