It's all in the name.

There was an interesting article recently about Texas having the lowest percentage of special ed students. Many special ed parents say the only reason that is so is because Texas just doesn't deal with them. Texas lists 8.8% of students as special ed, down from 12% in 2000. 

One parent said, "The school district is not giving them what they need. They're just sitting there in class." 

Well, wait a minute. Do you suppose that the reason the numbers have dropped is because parents insisted on mainstreaming? Do you suppose they would be getting what they need if they were still in special ed classes? 

It's my guess that parents are discovering that mainstreaming a child incapable of keeping up with his peers is not in the child's best interest, but they don't want to take any of the blame for that little experiment. Instead, it's all the school's fault. Parents need to decide -- do I want to do what's best for my child, or do I want to force him into a situation he's not equipped to handle just so he won't be labelled "special ed"?

"Texas has lowest percentage of special ed students." The Dallas Morning News; July 6, 2012; p. 3A.