The Seattle Post Intelligencer carried an Associated Press story datelined Everett WA (US) that reads like a terrible mash-up of race, disability, possibly poor parenting, and manifest determination. According to the story, an adolescent who has Learning Disabilities will have to write an essay as a way to have his record cleared.
The boy was found guilty last month of felony harassment for waving a noose at [an]other boy and using racial slurs in a parking lot at the high school in Monroe.
Because the teenager and his father had voluntarily taken a two-day racial-awareness class at Edmonds Community College in December, however, the judge granted a deferred disposition.
According to the story, “The white teenager, who has a learning disability, was expelled from Monroe High School after the episode and is now studying with a tutor from the public schools.” Do you think there was a determination of whether this boy’s LD played a role in his change in IEP? Let’s hope so. As deplorable as his action is, I can imagine that a boy who has LD and who may come from a home where racial intolerance occurs (we don’t know this to be the case; I’m alerted to the possibility, though, because the father went to the awareness class, too) might behave this way.
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It is apparent from this story that whomever wrote it is making many assumptions.
Assumption #1 – The Boy is guilty. Could it be that the school is having great difficulty with racism and in order to take the focus and responsibility for racial education off of itself it targeted a special education student? Could it be that the boy did not have enough resourses to defend himself in the face of a political agenda?
Assumption #2 – Writing an essay will clear the boy’s record. The boy received a sentence of one years supervised probation, a 500 word essay to be read, critiqued and corrected by the judge and 24 hours of community service.
Assumption #3 – The judge granted the deferred disposition because the boy took a racial-awareness class. It was stated in the case that this boy had never been in trouble with the law and had never been in a court before. A deferred disposition would not have been granted if this was not the case.
Assumption #4 – The boy’s LD played a role in his IEP change. No kidding! A student does not receive an IEP without a learning disability. Fact is, if the school was doing its job EDUCATING this individual, he would not have been in the parking lot getting in to trouble. The school district collects money from the government for the education of special education students and then it does nothing to help them. IEP’s are made and then there is no follow through by the professional teachers.
Assumption #4 – The boy lives in a home where racial intolerance occurs. What a deplorable assumption!! Could it be that this boy is just a knuckle headed 17 year old? Could it be that the parents are loving, God fearing people caught up in a mess thay had no control over? Could it be that the parents have long standing community volunteer outreach relationships?
In summation, I think this is a very poorly written article, written with the intent to incite racial predjudice!