Georgia’s segregation of students
In 2015 the state of Georgia was found guilty of illegally segregating students with behavioral and emotional problems by the Department of Justice (Katzerman, Andriano, & Wells, 2015). The state of Georgia’s rationale for segregating students may be to increase average test scores in schools as this is a considerable factor when it comes to the total amount of funding that public schools receive from the government. Schools fear that students with behavioral and emotional problems may adversely affect the performances of other students by being destructive or by requiring too much supervision, support, and attention from teachers. Another possible reason why the state of Georgia segregated pupils was to provide students with disabilities with a curriculum that suited their needs and teachers that specialized in teaching children with disabilities.
Segregation may be damaging to students with disabilities as it adversely affects their educational and social development. The curriculum for segregated students lacks many academic activities such as laboratory practicals and biological experiments. In addition, segregated students also have limited access to sporting and extra-curriculum activities such as chess and football limiting their ability to learn and develop other skills and talents (Ruscitti, Thomas, & Bentley, 2017). The segregation of students with special needs limits their social development as they are deprived of the chance to interact and learn from students with different social, racial and ethnic backgrounds. Socialising with other pupils will prepare students with special needs for a more independent future in the real world.
The state of Georgia can make special needs training mandatory for teachers to improve their ability to handle students with special needs minimizing the need for the segregation of students. The state of Georgia can also ensure that special needs students are allowed to freely socialize with other students as this will help them to develop vital communication skills.
In 2015 the state of Georgia was found guilty of illegally segregating students with behavioral and emotional problems by the Department of Justice (Katzerman, Andriano, & Wells, 2015). The state of Georgia’s rationale for segregating students may be to increase average test scores in schools as this is a considerable factor when it comes to the total amount of funding that public schools receive from the government. Schools fear that students with behavioral and emotional problems may adversely affect the performances of other students by being destructive or by requiring too much supervision, support, and attention from teachers. Another possible reason why the state of Georgia segregated pupils was to provide students with disabilities with a curriculum that suited their needs and teachers that specialized in teaching children with disabilities.
Segregation may be damaging to students with disabilities as it adversely affects their educational and social development. The curriculum for segregated students lacks many academic activities such as laboratory practicals and biological experiments. In addition, segregated students also have limited access to sporting and extra-curriculum activities such as chess and football limiting their ability to learn and develop other skills and talents (Ruscitti, Thomas, & Bentley, 2017). The segregation of students with special needs limits their social development as they are deprived of the chance to interact and learn from students with different social, racial and ethnic backgrounds. Socialising with other pupils will prepare students with special needs for a more independent future in the real world.
The state of Georgia can make special needs training mandatory for teachers to improve their ability to handle students with special needs minimizing the need for the segregation of students. The state of Georgia can also ensure that special needs students are allowed to freely socialize with other students as this will help them to develop vital communication skills.