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tech cut: more
left behind
The federal Medicaid cut for behavioral techs for mentally challenged kids will do the opposite of what the president desires: it will leave children behind.
Twenty-four Whiteville City Schools and 35 Columbus County Schools behavioral techs were cut in the move.
Behavioral techs shadow students all day in classrooms. In many cases, the students need help with the most mundane tasks, such as eating or using the bathroom.
Where the behavioral tech cuts will really hurt is how the schools will deal with students who are very disruptive because they are emotionally or behaviorally unable to function in a classroom setting by themselves.
School officials say that they can handle the cuts with teacher assistants and others, but that’s only putting on a good face.
The job of the special education teacher is hard enough without having to worry about students totally losing control of themselves in the classroom. Teacher assistants can help, but it will be hard to replace the one-on-one attention that students with emotional or physical problems need.
Sure, the tech program may have funded some students in the program who could have done without a tech, but some clearly need it – some who might be a danger to themselves and others without direct and constant supervision.
Rather than wreck the program completely, the Bush administration would do better to reassess the situation and provide funding for those students who have the most profound needs.
There are more of these students than most people realize. Some students may have to be institutionalized, which will bring about a great public cost.
Without the help of behavior techs, many students will get left behind, and, many teachers will be forced to deal with an even more monumental task than they face now.