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Anna Widener

Dr. Mark Noon

English 101x

4 March 2023 One source Bibliography

MLA:

Eduedify. “Controversial Issues in Special Education Today.” Eduedify, 7 Nov. 2022,

eduedify.com/controversial-issues-in-special-education-today/#:~:text=What%20are

%20the%20Three%20Most%20Important%20Challenges%20Facing,special

%20education%20is%20a%20lack%20of%20resources.%20.

APA

Eduedify. (2022, November 7). Controversial Issues in Special Education Today. Eduedify.

https://eduedify.com/controversial-issues-in-special-education-today/#:~:text=What

%20are%20the%20Three%20Most%20Important%20Challenges%20Facing

Summary:

In “controversial issue in special education today” they talk about the problems

that incur with special education in public schools. The main points touched upon were

lack of funding, shortage of qualified teachers, and lack of resources. Also they give

background on special education laws and their history in public schools. They discuss

the use of restraints and seclusions on children in the classrooms and how it does more

harm than good.

Pertinence

In Edeufiy’s Article many important topics are place in this piece that I can stem

from with other articles as well its just like a rabbit hole. It will provide a lot of good
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background knowledge to add into my piece about how our special education system is

failing students with disabilities nationwide. Also with how long this issue has been

going on there is a lot of information and different opinions out on the web to delve into.

Potentially valuable quotes

“The IDEA requires that states provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to all students

with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21.”

“Lack of resources. Many schools do not have enough books or materials specifically designed

for children with disabilities.”

“Shortage of qualified teachers. Many states have difficulty finding enough certified special

education teachers to meet the needs of students with disabilities.”

“Lack of funding. Many school districts are struggling to provide adequate resources and support

for students with disabilities.”

MLA

Blad, Evie. “Why the Feds Still Fall Short on Special Education Funding.” Education Week, 11

Jan. 2020, www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/why-the-feds-still-fall-short-on-special-

education-funding/2020/01.

APA

Blad, E. (2020, January 11). Why the Feds Still Fall Short on Special Education Funding.

Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/why-the-feds-still-fall-short-

on-special-education-funding/2020/01

Summary

In “Why the Feds Still Fall Short on Special Education Funding.” Blad writes about how there is

a major gap when it comes to money for special education. The federal government only

gives 1.2 billion of the 13 billion dollars the states need to run special education. She

talks about how financially it varies state from state.

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Pertinence

This article will help with the lack of funding part of my essay. It helps provide important

STATS about the financial cost of special education in America. It gives more insight on

the laws and how they play into effect of the fundings.

Quotes

“Federal funds cover about $1.2 billion of the state’s $13 billion special education costs, the

agency found, estimating that fully funding IDEA would amount to an additional $3.2

billion annually.”

“When Congress passed the predecessor to IDEA in 1975, it gave itself permission to help cover

the additional costs associated with special education by providing states grants equal to

the overall number of students with disabilities multiplied by 40 percent of the national

average per-pupil expenditure, which was about $12,300 in 2015-16, according to the

most recent federal data.”

MLA

Gaines, Lee V. “Students with Disabilities Have a Right to Qualified Teachers — but There’s a

Shortage.” NPR, 20 Apr. 2022, www.npr.org/2022/04/20/1092337446/special-education-

teacher-shortage.

APA

Gaines, Lee V. “Students with Disabilities Have a Right to Qualified Teachers — but There’s a

Shortage.” NPR, 20 Apr. 2022, www.npr.org/2022/04/20/1092337446/special-education-

teacher-shortage.

Summary
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In “Students with disabilities have a right to qualified teachers — but there's a shortage.” Lee

Gaines talks about her daughters’ experience of not having a certified special education

teacher and goes into legal cases that have gone on in cases like these.

Pertinence

This article provides legal cases which is important for my project to more detail about the

storage issue at hand with special education teachers. It talks about why it’s an issue and

why it’s so difficult now to find those teachers.

Quotes

“In 2019, 44 states reported special education teacher shortages to the federal government. This

school year, that number jumped to 48.”

MLA

Behind Closed Doors: What’s Happening to Students with Autism in America’s Public Schools?

APA

Behind Closed Doors: What’s Happening to Students with Autism in America’s Public Schools?

Summary

In “Behind Closed Doors: What’s Happening to Students with Autism in America’s Public

Schools” they talk about how children with autism are mistreated some even have died

due to restraints and chemical restraints. How most states allow this and there are no

federal guidelines or laws that prohibit the abuse of these children in public schools. It

also goes over autism and a bunch of other disabilities that we see in special education

classrooms today.
Peritence
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I think this will help significantly with the abuse part of my project also it will give background

on more laws and regulations that are or should be in place in the classrooms. It gives a

lot of good sources to dive deeper into and stem from for more information. It also helps

with understanding what the dynamic should be in special ed classrooms today.

Quotes

“Restraint is characterized by exposing the student to physical, mechanical, or chemical

restraints to immobilize them. These procedures include forcing a child. to the floor, the use of

tape, cuffs or other devices and the application of medicine that dulls a child’s ability to move or

think. Seclusion is forced isolation. in a room or space. Without legal safeguards, these

procedures are often carried out by untrained or undertrained personnel, placing students at

higher risk of serious injury or death.”

“52,506 instances of restraint were reported. When analyzing student placement where restraint

occurs, 30,671 took place in self-contained classrooms. This compares with 2,313 instances in

mainstream instructional settings. This means a student was more than thirteen times as likely to

be restrained in a self-contained classroom as they were in a mainstream setting. (Notably, an

additional 11,405 episodes occurred in resource classrooms, which are often like self-contained

environments but with more student movement to and from general education settings.”

MLA

“A Dreaded Part of Teachers’ Jobs: Restraining and Secluding Students.” NPR.org,

www.npr.org/2019/12/05/777358918/a-dreaded-part-of-teachers-jobs-restraining-and-

secluding-students.
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‌APA

“A Dreaded Part of Teachers’ Jobs: Restraining and Secluding Students.” NPR.org,

www.npr.org/2019/12/05/777358918/a-dreaded-part-of-teachers-jobs-restraining-and-

secluding-students.

Summary

In “A Dreaded Part of Teachers' Jobs: Restraining and Secluding Students” Lombardo and

Abamu give the teachers perspectives on the use of restraints and seclusion in special ed

classrooms. But they also talk about cases where teachers have taken it too far, sometimes

resulting in deaths of students.

Pertinence

This helps with diving more into abuse cases with restraints and seclusion, which is a huge topic

in my project. Also being able to see the teacher’s side of having to do this shows that there are

good teachers who don’t abuse this power but also, they have the bad ones too. It shows that no

one should have the right to do this in our public education system because no parent should

have to worry about whether their child is safe at school.

Quotes

“Restraint and seclusion in schools can mean anything from holding or using restraints on a

student to isolating them in a separate room or space. According to federal guidance, these

methods are meant to be a last resort, when students are believed to be a danger to themselves or

others.”
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“Still, a 2009 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, a federal watchdog, found

hundreds of cases of alleged abuse and even death when restraint and seclusion were used on

school children.”

MLA

“Former West Virginia Special Education Teacher Gets 10 Years in Abuse

Case.” Www.cbsnews.com, www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/former-west-virginia-

special-education-teacher-sentenced-10-years-abuse-case/. Accessed 20 Apr. 2023.

‌APA

Former West Virginia special education teacher gets 10 years in abuse case. (n.d.).

Www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from

https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/former-west-virginia-special-education-

teacher-sentenced-10-years-abuse-case/

Summary:

Case about how Nancy Boggs abused multiple students in a special education classroom. She is

serving 10 years in maximum prison. She had 10 misdemeanor counts for battery.

Pertinence:

This important because having an example of a case to back my research and topic. It proves the

point of abuse that happens in special education classrooms. This is just one example of the

abuse that goes on, but it is a big case.

Quotes:

“CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A former special education teacher in West Virginia was

sentenced to the maximum 10 years in prison Tuesday for abusing several students.”
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“Boggs, 67, pleaded guilty in May to 10 misdemeanor counts of battery. Akers ordered the

sentences of one year on each count to be served consecutively.”

“Boggs, 67, pleaded guilty in May to 10 misdemeanor counts of battery. Akers ordered the

sentences of one year on each count to be served consecutively.”

MLA

“Use of Restraints for Students with Disabilities.” Department of Education,

www.education.pa.gov/Policy-Funding/BECS/PACode/Pages/UseofRestraints.aspx.

APA

Use of Restraints for Students with Disabilities. (n.d.). Department of Education.

https://www.education.pa.gov/Policy-Funding/BECS/PACode/Pages/UseofRestraints.asp

Summary:

In “Use of Restraints for Students with Disabilities” the department of education talks about how

restraints and seclusion are used, when they should be, how they are used, and when it is

the appropriate time for the use of them.

Pertinence:

This helps with explaining how and why they are used it gives background on them so I can do a

comparative thing with how its suppose to be used verses how they are used in

classrooms.

Quotes:

” The use of physical restraints is limited to controlling acute or episodic aggressive or self-

injurious behavior when the student is acting in a manner as to be a clear and present
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danger to himself, to other students, or to employees, and only when less restrictive

measures and techniques have proven to be less effective.”

“Restraints are not to be used for punishment or incidents of non-compliance that do not pose a

clear and present threat of harm to the student or others.”

“The use of prone restraints is prohibited in educational programs. Prone restraints are those in

which a student with a disability is held face down on the floor.”

MLA

Allegretto, Sylvia, et al. “Public Education Funding in the U.S. Needs an Overhaul: How a

Larger Federal Role Would Boost Equity and Shield Children from Disinvestment during

Downturns.” Economic Policy Institute, 12 July 2022, www.epi.org/publication/public-

education-funding-in-the-us-needs-an-overhaul/.

APA

Allegretto, S., Garcia, E., & Weiss, E. (2022, July 12). Public education funding in the U.S.

needs an overhaul: How a larger federal role would boost equity and shield children

from disinvestment during downturns. Economic Policy Institute.

https://www.epi.org/publication/public-education-funding-in-the-us-needs-an-overhaul/

‌Summary

In “Public Education Funding in the U.S. Needs an Overhaul: How a Larger Federal Role

Would Boost Equity and Shield Children from Disinvestment during Downturns.” They talk

about how economic recessions, and such have affected special education funding. Also, how it

specifically affects low-income communities and families. It goes through all the years of

economic downfalls and how it specifically affects the special education system.

Pertinence
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This is important to the research because it gives an overview logically of how lack of funding

affects students in the special education system. This adds more detail and information about

how the special education system is failing students today.

Quotes:

“Education funding generally is inadequate and inequitable; It relies too heavily on state and

local resources (particularly property tax revenues); the federal government plays a small and an

insufficient role; funding levels vary widely across states; and high-poverty districts get less

funding per student than low-poverty districts.”

“Funding inadequacies and inequities tend to be aggravated when there is an economic

downturn, which typically translates into problems that persist well after recovery is underway.

After the 2007 onset of the Great Recession, for example, funding fell, and it took until 2015–

2016, on average, to return to their pre-recession per-student revenue and spending levels. For

high-poverty school districts, it took even longer—until 2016–2017—to rebound to their pre-

recession revenue levels.”

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