Special Education Parents Speak Out On Alternative School Move To WPHS
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WHEELING - Parents of special education students at Wheeling Park High School are concerned about plans for an alternative school to share space with the special education students at the south end of the school, and so are the teachers.
Five people - including both parents and educators - addressed Ohio County Board of Education members Monday night to tell them they need to rethink their actions to move the alternative school from its current location in the Triadelphia Middle School Annex to WPHS.
The annex is presently without heat, and last month board members approved the move of the alternative school to the high school. A school bond approved in 2018 had provided funding for demolishing the annex, but school officials opted to keep it open to serve as an alternative school.
The alternative school students are slated to be moved to WPHS sometime this month, though portable heaters have been purchased for the annex to serve in the interim.
The move is still going to happen, and the heaters will just be kept for later use by the school district as needed, Assistant Superintendent Rick Jones said.
Earlier in the meeting, board members also approved a memorandum of understanding between Ohio County Schools, Crittenton Services and the West Virginia Schools of Diversion and Transition for residents at Crittenton to attend the alternative school.
Crittenton Services provides behavioral health care, child welfare, family support and trauma-informed shelter services for children, young adults and families.
At present, 13 Crittenton students would attend the alternative school at WPHS, but there would be room to handle as many as 40, according to Nicole Shepherd, director of student intervention and support programs,
Parent Elizabeth Wood told board members their "careless decision" to place the alternative school with the special education students has negatively affected her daughter Sophia's education and day-to-day functions.
"You are placing high-risk students next to your most vulnerable students, and the measures that I have seen only hinder the day-to-day activity of the students," she said.
"There are plenty of people willing to be a thorn in your side until the alternative school students are moved out of there."
WPHS special education teacher Dionne Cox expressed concerns about the future shared use of a multi-purpose room by the special education and alternative school students.
She indicated Shepherd had been working with them to restore the special education program's access to the multi-purpose room, which had served as a necessary sensory area for the special education students.
"However, one concern remains. Is this arrangement temporary?" Cox asked. "Or are we permanently losing spaces that were an important part of our students' education?"
Charles Fithen blamed board members for not properly planning for the need for a new alternative school location.
"My question is why are our special education students paying the price for your lack of foresight?" he asked. "Our kids are losing time and access to the vital spaces and to their own dedicated area. Routines and layouts have been disrupted just to accommodate (the alternative school)."
He reminded them of the levy passed in 2018 that provided funds for the demolition of the annex, and how they put off that action.
"We voted to build these students up, not cut them a few years down the road," Fithen said.
Wheeling Middle School special education teacher Tiffany Stephens said her students utilize the special sensory/multi-purpose room at WPHS.
“Those things regulate behaviors, and our students need regulated behaviors in order to learn," she told board members. "Whenever the things that regulate them are disrupted, they have inability to learn properly. It does mess up their schedules, and it messes up all the things that go on with them."
Jasmine Donnell said she is part of the care family of Wood's daughter Sophia, and she commended Stephens for the strides she has made with the youth.
"We went from not being able to go out anywhere to now spending time at the Cheese Melt and having a grilled cheese together," she said. "Miss Cox took her to homecoming. It was her first time going to a public loud space."
Donnell added a comprehensive plan was needed that didn't take away the special sensory/multi-purpose room from special needs students.
Board members expressed that they learned a lot from those speaking and would need to think about the move of the alternative school.
"The awareness has been raised," said board president David Croft. "At least from my perspective, I was unaware of how the impact would be on various students.
"Let's get something on the agenda where we can have an open discussion before anything permanent is done. We want to measure once and cut twice here," Croft added.