In response to research literature, legal requirements, and pressure from parents in the Special Education PTA (SEPTA), the Superintendent of Manhattan High Schools has recently authorized the transfer of eleven students to my school, who until a few months ago, were all classified severally socially maladjusted and emotionally disturbed. I am a newly appointed principal and have the least seniority in the borough. To complicate matters, none of the teachers in my school have received training to prepare them for the challenges normally associated with this population. Though the literature indicates that team teaching and block scheduling can be useful tools that are beneficial not only to the special needs student but to mainstream students as well, to my knowledge none of the teachers in my school are knowledgeable in the incorporation of these tools into an inclusive instructional practice.

To some it appears that these students were reclassified in order to ensure that the inclusion instructional model would be implemented across the school. In this model, special needs and mainstream students are grouped in the same learning environment, and special needs students receive additional support to help them achieve at the level of their mainstream ppers.

Since their arrival in the building, special needs students have committed a number of assaults on other students.  They have also threatened teachers and security staff members. Moreover, they are the prime suspects in a number of assualts and thefts. 

Since their arrival, the tone of the building has taken a turn to the worse. For instance, there are constant outbursts within the building throughout the day.  For example, there has been an increase in the instances of sounding false fire alarms. Our neighborhood school of 1,600 students is no longer a tranquil learning community that it once used to be.

Several teachers who have had altercations with these students, or who have witnessed their violent acts, have organized a protest with the support of the teacher's union. The teachers refuse to cope with the disruptive behavior of these students. The chapter chairperson, had a school-wide meeting on this issue. I was warned that the union is willing to go the press if they are not given some redress.  They stated that the teachers want our school returned to its once safe and happy environment and that the education of the rest of the students is seriously threatened.

The PTA is also involved and is supporting the position of the teachers. They believe that these students should be removed from the building. The PTA wants an admission process to be implemented so that this can be prevented from happening again. They have threatened to take their children out of the school if the problem is not corrected. These vocal and active parents have demanded that I take immediate action before there are any more violent incidents. They have written a letter to the Chancellor calling for immediate action.

The Board of Education appears to favor inclusion for fiscal reasons, and has adopted a policy of "increasing mainstreaming." In addition to complying with federal laws, this allows the board to reduce spending for operating special schools. The Board's interpretation of state legislation mandating equal access for physically handicapped children has been stretched to include the socially maladjusted as well. Although the board cites movement of these youngsters into the least restrictive environment as the rationale, there is widespread suspicion among teachers and within the Division of High Schools that Board members are more concerned about cutting costs than with the restrictiveness of the learning environment.

Several of my colleagues [other principals] in the borough have also complained about the problem since they are all affected. In comparison to my school, most of the other schools are larger and have received a greater number of these students. Therefore, I have been told that I really have nothing to complain about. An administrator in the district office hinted that since I am a first year principal and untenured, I should keep quiet and let the more senior principals battle it out for the rest of us.

The following are some options or plans that I could possible follow:

I could appeal to the superintendent to transfer some of these students to another site.

I could uphold the Superintendents action and defend the troubled students rights to be mainstreamed in our school.

I could attempt to create a separate program within the school, so that the trouble students could be isolated from the mainstream students.

For discussion:

1. What factors should take precedence in making my decisions?
2. How much weight should be given to the views of active parents in the school given our thrust to increase parental involvement?
3. How much damage will these disruptive students cause to the education of the other students?
4. Why?

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